By NATALIE SACKET & CHRIS PUNTO
Columnists
This is the second Kevin Costner movie we have seen in a row. But doesn’t everyone love a feel-good Costner movie? No. The answer is no. This week we watched
“Black or White” (2014).
Chris’ Review-
1 out of 5 gavels
So for those of you who don’t know, which is probably the majority of you, “Black or White” is the story of an alcoholic grandfather trying to keep sole custody of his half-black granddaughter after the passing of his wife. The child’s paternal grandmother, played by Octavia Spencer, believes that her grandbaby should be spending more time with family and getting to know her roots. What ensues is a court battle that brings out the ugly side of both families.
First off, what the crap? Why is this a thing? This movie, unlike other Octavia Spencer movies, has no decent social commentary to add. They try to make the grandfather seem like a racist when he actually just does not like one black person. And he states this fact repeatedly! So one could argue that the point of the movie is to bring light to the dynamics and workings of a ethnically mixed family. Well you would also be wrong there because both families wanted sole custody of the child. They did not feel the need to create one mixed family out of two. And this movie also failed to do the main job of a movie and entertain us, so again I ask: What the crap?
I can name two good things about this movie. The first is the fact that I got to see another trailer for “Chappie” (oh that cute little robot). The second is that I got to see Costner act like a drunk. That’s always fun. I can’t really say anything else stood out to me. The story was bland. The acting was bland. The popcorn had more flavor than this film…and I got lite butter.
Bottom line, don’t watch this movie unless something in your heart deeply compels you to, which I don’t know why it would. Go watch “Kingsmen” again. That was a good movie.
Natalie’s Review-
1.5 our of 5 gavels
“Black or White” felt more like a made-for-TV style film. I could get more entertainment out of watching the Hallmark Channel at my grandma’s.
The film’s heart is clearly in the right place, as it does attempt to confront several social issues, but it was just too much. The characters were all a bit too cliché, the story much too predictable. It’s more of a soap opera than anything.
I will say that the actors did embrace their characters wholeheartedly. I would expect nothing less from Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer, both Academy Award winners. It’s not their fault that the characters they portray are so one-dimensional.
This brings me to my next point… whoa, the terribleness of this script! The characters were so blah. (I can’t even think of a better adjective, that’s how lacking of depth these characters are.) There were occasions where I was just overly annoyed with Elliot Anderson (Costner) and Rowena (Spencer.) For instance, Anderson’s wife passes away in a car accident, yet we see him drink and drive numerous times with his granddaughter in the vehicle. There are only two sides to Anderson in this film: drunk and barely sober. The only bright side to this film was the charming Jillian Estell, who plays the lovely 7-year-old Eloise.
“Black or White” tried to overcome stereotypes and prejudices, but it ended up perpetuating them. This film had the potential to make a very strong social statement, but I think the audience missed it because they were asleep by the end of the film because of sheer boredom. It attempts to portray several double standards, whether it was about addiction, race, or gender. However, it was not handled in a convincing manner.
Bottom Line: If you want a heartwarming film, go watch “Lassie” or “Dead Poet’s Society” or “Forest Gump” instead.