Director and screenwriter Mike Binder will be called on the carpet by the gripe-happy protectors of the politically correct. He’ll be accused of tripping over stereotypes as he presents the story of a custody battle over a racially mixed seven-year-old, Eloise. Despite being a little obvious around the edges, Black or White essentially presents a modern day racial drama with solid conviction and fresh ideas.
Raised by her maternal grandparents after her mother died in childbirth, Eloise (Jillian Estell) faces another tragedy when her grandmother dies in a car accident just before the film begins. Her grandfather, Eliot (a riveting Kevin Costner), a corporate lawyer, suddenly faces the task of raising the child by himself. Just when he begins to get his footing, Eloise’s fraternal grandmother, Rowena (Octavia Spencer, very good) decides the girl would be better off in her custody–especially since her long-estranged, miscreant son, Reggie (Andre Holland), is suddenly eager to get involved with his daughter Or is he?
Rowena also presents the notion that the child would be better off getting acquainted with the black side of her culture, and blames Eliot for shielding Eloise from her other identity. Eliot contends his only objection is that Reggie stay away from the child. Eliot blames him for his daughter’s death, for not being forthcoming during the child’s infancy, and for basically not showing up. Defended by his attorney uncle, Jeremiah (Anthony Mackie), Reggie is heading to court, his shady drug-taking reputation notwithstanding. A potentially wobbly witness, Reggie gets a tongue-lashing from Jeremiah. He reinforces the worst stereotypes about a shiftless black man, Jeremiah says. Later, in a witness stand soliloquy, Eliot will call attention to these same traits as he explains a regrettable reference to Reggie where Eliot uses the n-word.
Although he’s got a serious drinking problem and is overloaded with self-pity, Eliot is a heroic character. His essential vibe is that he’ll let no caution over offending racial contrasts stand in the way of protecting his daughter from the peril presented by Reggie. The film often seems to be playing it overly safe until you realize how against the grain its essential viewpoint is. It plays with your expectations, and while it ultimately presents almost as many problems connecting the dots as it does putting forth fresh insight, Black or White is anything but a grandiose nose-thumb at conventional racial politics. It may often paint in broad strokes, but its heart is as wide as its vision. The racial midcourse it presents feels genuine, even if much of its point of view is that of the white guy.