Black or White (2015) * *

Directed by:  Mike Binder

Starring:  Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Anthony Mackie, Bill Burr, Andre Holland, Mpho Koaho, Jillian Estell

Black or White is a frustrating movie to watch.    It raises issues and then sidesteps them at its convenience.    The alcoholism of its main character, Elliott Anderson (Costner), is certainly referenced, but not dealt with.    The film's conclusion includes a 180 degree character swerve which serves only to put a happy ending on a story that should not have one.    Why did this swerve happen?   What led up to such a drastic change of heart?    I don't know.   

Kevin Costner stars as Elliott, a 60ish grandfather whose younger wife dies in a car accident and he is left to care for his multi-racial granddaughter Eloise (Estell) by himself.    Sort of.    He does have a maid named Rosita who speaks in broken English and is always around when you need her, no matter what time of day it is.    Elliott is a well-off attorney with a large home in suburban Los Angeles, so he can afford to take time off to help raise the young girl.    Eloise's mother died giving birth to Eloise and the girl's biological father Reggie's (Holland) whereabouts are unknown.    Eloise is a smart, well-adjusted seven year old who is perfectly happy where she is.    She does notice Elliott's increasing drinking.    "I don't like when you drink," she tells her grandfather, who does not take the hint and is seen with a drink in his hand for most of the film.    The first shot of Elliott in his home focuses on his bar situated right in the living room, which should be the first sign to anyone that he has a drinking problem.   

Eloise's paternal grandmother is Rowena (Spencer), who lives in South Central and laments to Elliott that he should allow her to see her granddaughter more.    This request soon becomes the basis of a joint custody hearing initiated by Rowena, who believes Elliott's reluctance to bring Eloise around her family may be racially motivated.    Or maybe she doesn't.     Rowena's reasoning for wanting Eloise around more is understandable and even reasonable.    She is uncomfortable with calling Elliott a racist, but is prodded by her attorney brother (Mackie) to go down that path.   I think Elliott's alcoholism is a more justifiable reason to want to gain custody of Eloise and easier to prove, but this is somehow not the focus of her attack.

Why Rowena's brother thinks painting Elliott as a racist is a sound strategy is never made clear, other than to turn Black or White into a racial conflict where one really doesn't exist.    Elliott's anger with Reggie has manifested itself in his relationship with Rowena's family, but I don't believe he is a racist, even with his courtroom testimony which any lawyer worth his salt would never advise him to say.   

Reggie returns to the scene and joins the custody battle.   He claims to be clean and sober, which Elliott does not believe.     He tries to pay Reggie to go away.    Elliott, however, does not have much moral high ground in telling Reggie to clean up when he is soused to the point that he hires his granddaughter's tutor as a part-time driver.    His feud with Reggie ends with a whimper after a physical altercation in which one or both men should have been brought up on charges.

Even after everything that transpires, the final courtroom scene involves a change of heart that can't be accepted.    How did this happen?    Why?    And how exactly will Elliott get help for his drinking?     In all honesty, having Eloise stay with her family should come as a relief to him.    He doesn't seem very happy with her around.     Rowena may be doing him a favor.    His approach to caring for Eloise seems more like a duty than a pleasure.    

Black or White wants to be all things to all people.    It doesn't take sides, which is commendable, but maybe it's because the script is so murky that we don't know why the people here do what they do.    Their behavior, feelings, and motives are at the mercy of the screenplay.