Black or White

IMDb Rating

last updated: 2024-10-25Update data

Commonsensemedia Rating

last updated: 2024-10-25Update data

Complex themes/messages related to racial issues and relations. Tolerance is promoted, and the idea of looking beyond skin color is a main theme. Family is also cherished.

Most of the characters (and their views) are flawed, albeit in ways that make them seem more realistic/human. A white character gives a speech about how, if his first impression of a person is skin color, then his second or third impression about that person is the one that counts. There are strong, positive African-American characters, but the movie is mainly about the journey of the main white character.

A rough fight scene. A man draws a knife. A man is hit with a blunt object. A man falls into a pool cover and nearly drowns. General tension, shouting, and arguing throughout.

A secondary character is affectionate with his girlfriend. The main character has flashbacks about his late, beloved wife.

One major use of "motherf----r." Occasional use of other strong words, including the "N" word.

The main character is a heavy drinker, possibly an alcoholic. He drinks a specific brand of whisky and is frequently drunk or hung over. A secondary character is a struggling drug addict. He's shown smoking crack in one brief shot.

Dove Rating

None

It's stated a young woman got pregnant at 17, ran away from home and died during childbirth; man mentions noticing a woman's breasts when meeting her.

GD-7; G/OMG-2; J-3; F-1; S-18; H-11 (including Go to H); D-8; A-5; slang for male genitalia-1; slang for testicles-1; Crap-1; SOB-1.

A few fights and man's face is bloodied a bit; characters on the ground wrestling with each other; switchblade is pulled; man's head cut and a large coffee cup is broken over a man's head, causing some bleeding.

Drinking in many scenes and a few characters are intoxicated; comments about drinking and about joining AA; drunken character nearly drowns in a pool; character is seen smoking "crack"; comment about man having been an addict; character is referred to as a "crack head;" character smokes and other characters look as if they might be smoking from a distance.

Cleavage in several scenes; kids in swimsuits; shirtless man; cleavage seen as woman swims underwater; woman in a bikini.

Racist attitudes with blacks and whites and some misunderstandings; man asks if another man called a man a n*gger; lots of tension and arguments between characters; the topic of death and grief and what it means to be a good parent.