Movies in Review: "Black or White"

Who doesn't love a good family drama? I do, but one centered around race kind of added more interest for me. I was interested to see how the topic would be handled. The trailer was cute with entertaining Spencer, sexy Costner, and the cutest child actress playing the grand-daughter caught in the middle of the dispute. I wasn't expecting anything exceptional, but I did expect it to be good...and it was...sorta...

Let me first start by saying, as cute as the young actress (Jillian Estell) was in the trailer, she was super bland in the movie. This would be my biggest problem with the movie. I wish they would have had a better child actress, because this little girl didn't do it for me. The story dragged a little also, and could have been shortened by 15-20 min. Thank goodness for Octavia Spencer as Grandma Wewe, because she added flavor and spunk to the movie. She and Costner worked well together, but Spencer definitely shined more. I think Mackie was miscast as Grandma Wewe's brother. I usually like Mackie, but he was a little over the top for me in this character. He came off way too fake. Two very interesting sub-characters who added nice humor were Costner's maid and tutor. They were hilarious. There were some really touching and interesting scenes that made the movie enjoyable. The production seemed a little weak and lacked funds to be stellar, but the homemade look of the film wasn't horrible...just a little noticeable...lol

All in all, not a great movie, but it was ok. The subject in the story was touched on pretty nicely, so I don't have too many complaints there. Honestly they could have premiered this on lifetime and saved me $15. I do suggest you save your money on this one and wait until it's showing on cable TV...C-