Black or White

by

Rated: PG-13

Reteaming with director Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger), Kevin Costner plays attorney Elliot Anderson, a recently bereaved widower, frequent drinker and the sole custodial caretaker of his biracial preteen granddaughter Eloise (Jillian Estell). Raising the child with his wife (Jennifer Ehle) since their daughter’s death, Elliot is drawn into a custody battle with Eloise’s paternal grandmother Rowena (Octavia Spencer). A successful realtor, Rowena and her lawyer brother (Anthony Mackie) charge Elliot with being a closet racist. The film boasts a terrific performance from Costner, but retreads ground covered more thoughtfully, and more than a decade ago, in an episode of “Law and Order.”