Binder, who oversaw one of Costner's best performances in "The Upside of Anger," based this story on what happened to his nephew, a biracial child whose dad was out of the picture and whose mom died at 33. He motivations in the custody fight, like Elliott's, are complex and conflicted: self-serving in some ways, quite reasonable in others. His assertion that most people have racist thoughts from time to time, but what matters isn't our first thought but our second and third, rings true. But too often the actors seem to struggle with dialogue and situations that turn their characters into clownish adversaries and stick-figure obstacles. Its heart is in the right place, but its mind is confused. Ted Woods’s documentary “White Wash” wants you to know that white guys aren’t the only ones who surf. But putting it in the mouth of a rich White man is still a baffling strategic mistake—though not nearly as ill-advised as establishing Reggie's weak claim on custody by revealing that he doesn't know how to spell his daughter's name. "Black or White," a domestic drama about a custody battle over a mixed-race child, is the kind of movie you root for, because it's clearly coming from a sincere and honest place. To its credit, "Black or White" keeps insisting that we sympathize with Reggie's struggle to stay clean, and understand that he's been placed in an impossible position: Rowena's side of the family has a better shot at custody if he can prove he's cut out to be a father, but you need only look into his haunted, guilty eyes to see that he's not. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 39% rating, based on 102 reviews, with an average rating of 5.19/10. The film's sincerity is instantly apparent, along with its sense of empathy. Mackie's lawyer is one casualty: he's there mainly to inflame tensions and push Rowena to green-light extreme and ultimately counterproductive tactics. In the end, "Black or White" is too disorganized and pokey, and too comfortable with sitcom-like clowning, to truly illuminate or heal, . First among equals is Costner, who's fearless about letting Elliott be hurtful, maudlin and pathetic at times. But he means well, and his actions prove it. On September 25, 2014, Open Road Films was in talks to acquire the US distribution rights to the film. Too many scenes verge on sitcom broadness, and even the more delightfully original supporting players (including Duvan, who speaks, languages fluently and has written thesis papers on every, subject) wear out their welcomes. [10], Black or White received mixed reviews from critics. Worse still is the way that "Black or White" keeps the focus on Elliott rather than distributing its screen time more democratically, a strategy that might have countered complaints that the film is mainly concerned with proving that Elliott is not a racist, and that by extension, White viewers who identify with Elliott aren't racists, either. The movie never subverts the stereotype, even in its more laudable moments, such as a nifty bit of crosscutting that reminds us that Reggie's drug habit and Elliott's drinking are both about numbing unbearable pain. Elliot raises his granddaughter Eloise as he struggles with his grief by binge-drinking. Elliot se retrouve plongé dans une bataille acharnée pour la garde d'Eloïse. Spencer puts across Rowena's common sense and bulldozer righteousness as well as an impulsive, self-defeating busybody quality that alarms her own adult kids; their ranks include her son Jeremiah (Anthony Mackie), a lawyer who warns Rowena that the only way to win custody is to paint Elliott as a racist, a charge that's probably true in certain ways but that will need to be puffed up to monstrous dimensions in court. First among equals is Costner, who's fearless about letting Elliott be hurtful, maudlin and pathetic at times. Unfortunately, Reggie ends up validating White stereotypes of absentee Black fathers who would rather smoke crack than raise their kids; he's a hapless version of the sort of bogeyman that might have made its way into a 1980s State of the Union address. Then Eloise's grandmother Rowena Jeffers (Octavia Spencer) enters the picture and agitates for custody of Eloise. Mackie's lawyer is one casualty: he's there mainly to inflame tensions and push Rowena to green-light extreme and ultimately counterproductive tactics. the failures of liberalism. La dernière modification de cette page a été faite le 26 juillet 2019 à 22:16. Alors qu'il essaie de surmonter son chagrin, son univers bascule quand la petite est réclamée par sa grand-mère afro-américaine, Rowena, qui exige qu'elle soit confiée à son père, Reggie, un drogué qu'Elliot tient pour responsable de la mort de sa propre fille. The movie never subverts the stereotype, even in its more laudable moments, such as a nifty bit of crosscutting that reminds us that Reggie's drug habit and Elliott's drinking are both about numbing unbearable pain. He quickly assumes child-raising duties once performed by his wife, including combing Eloise's hair and tying it with a bow (his form is lacking, to put it mildly), and even hires a tutor, Duvan Araga (Mpho Koaho of TNT's "Falling Skies"), to help the girl with math homework that he can't make heads or tails of. He's a Baby boomer who probably considered himself race-blind until his daughter started sleeping with Reggie and ended up bearing his child. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States on January 30, 2015. Unfortunately, Reggie ends up validating White stereotypes of absentee Black fathers who would rather smoke crack than raise their kids; he's a hapless version of the sort of bogeyman that might have made its way into a 1980s State of the Union address about the failures of liberalism. Sauf indication contraire ou complémentaire, les informations mentionnées dans cette section peuvent être confirmées par la base de données IMDb. But it's often painful, and not in a good way; it's painful because of the roads it doesn't explore, the shortcuts it takes, and the special pleading it can't stop itself from indulging in. Elliot's world is turned upside-down when the child's black grandmother, Rowena, demands that Eloise be brought under the care of her father, Rowena's son, Reggie, a drug addict whom Elliot blames for the negligence that led to the death of his own daughter. [3] On October 17, Relativity Media acquired the US rights to the film. "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 45 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Elliott is no plaster saint. When … [4], Principal photography of the film began on July 15, 2013 in New Orleans[5] with the filming lasting for five weeks. To its credit, "Black or White", that we sympathize with Reggie's struggle to stay clean, and understand that he's been placed in an. It's what used to be called, in the 1950s and '60s, a "problem picture." "Black or White," a domestic drama about a custody battle over a mixed-race child, is the kind of movie you root for, because it's clearly coming from a sincere and honest place. Elliot Anderson, avocat, vient de perdre son épouse Carol, avec qui il élevait leur petite-fille métisse, Eloïse, depuis la mort de leur fille en couches. [6][7], Relativity planned to release the film in time to qualify for the Oscar race,[4] starting with a limited release on December 3, 2014 then opening wide on January 30, 2015. Cette section est vide, insuffisamment détaillée ou incomplète. “Black or White” starts with scene in the hospital where Eliot (Kevin Costner) just lost his wife Carole (Jennifer Ehle) in a car accident. There's no easy marketplace slot into which it can be placed and nurtured. The poor girl's White mother died in childbirth, and barely knew her African-American father, Reggie (Andre Holland of the excellent Cinemax series "The Knick"), a drug addict who got Eloise's mother pregnant and has barely been heard from since. This movie is the kind of failure that makes you frustrated and sad rather than angry. And the melodramatic climax, which momentarily endorses Elliott's ugliest fears, is such a tawdry betrayal of the movie's nobler impulses that "Black or White" never recovers from it. The movie uses the n-word in a couple of pivotal scenes, and not casually either, but it's impossible to congratulate the film for daring to go there when Elliott gets the chance to explain himself and launches into what sounds like the sort of half-apology, half-excuse that a White movie star might make after being caught using bigoted language in public. When her paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer) seeks custody with the help of her brother (Anthony Mackie), the little girl is torn between two families who love her deeply. The film starts strong in a hospital waiting room, dropping you right into the worst moment of Elliott's life: learning that his wife (Jennifer Ehle) died of injuries sustained in a car wreck.

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