Losing Isaiah

I think the plot of this movie was unrealistic though the acting was excellent and it made me cry towards the end. In reality, you can see that the Lewins were better fit to raise Isaiah than Khaila. I don't think a real court would ever give a child like that to its biological mother considering her background! Maybe if she found a job good enough to support a child before taking the case to court I would've rooted for her more. In real life a woman like Khaila can't compete with parents like the Lewins. The only thing I saw wrong with the Lewins was that they didn't read to him multicultural books or showed him any real pictures of people of different skin color so he could learn more about himself.

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source: Losing Isaiah

Seth Margolis' novel becomes middle-of-the-road drama about a white woman and her husband fighting a black woman in court over the custody of the black woman's baby son, whom she left in a dumpster two years prior to cleaning up her life as a homeless crack-addict. Uninventive presentation plays like a dulled-out TV-movie, and the two leading actresses (Jessica Lange and Halle Berry), while well cast, can't do much more than fill these stock roles with their individual charisma and personalities (they can't invest much heart into the proceedings when the screenplay is all processed emotion). The outcome of the case (and the reasons for the outcome) seem dated already, and the concluding events are standard, predictable scenes of coming to terms. ** from ****

Should an African-American child be raised by Anglo-American parents? This is the perplexing question raised in Stephen Gyllengaal's tragic "Losing Isaiah", the story of the desperate custody battle between the white adoptive parents and the black biological mother of little four year old Isaiah. Khaila Richards has discovered that the baby she left in a cardboard box is still alive and lays claim to him, stating that he should not be raised by parents of a differing colour. Margaret and Charles Lewin will not concede without a fight though, and they enlist an African-American attorney to represent their cause. Director Gyllenhaal fails (incredibly) to generate compassion for any of the characters involved, not even Isaiah! Naomi Foner's screenplay (from Seth Margolis' novel) has unfortunately underdeveloped its pivotal players, and thus we are unable to associate with them and get under their skin. The characters of Khaila and Charles Lewin are particularly overlooked. Here we have a film that presents a shocking and challenging topic without (somehow) shocking or challenging us. Failing almost entirely to invoke the emotions, I was no more inspired than having read the story in the newspaper. Marc John Jefferies is cute, yet Gyllenhaal barely even plays on this, amazingly. Both Director and screenwriter have skimmed over the top of all the sensitive issues and shirked all the antagonistic problems that "Losing Isaiah" raises. They never stir deeply enough nor give the movie a harsh enough edge. The soft ending is a major disappointment too, when this picture desperately needed a hard-hitting finale to drive home a point, one Mr. Gyllenhaal's film never had to make in the first place. Racial issues throughout are intriguing yet sadly never fully examined. Should black and white mix when it comes to raising children? Can white folks raise an African-American child satisfactorily, so that he has a full understanding of who he is, his heritage, and so that he's sure of his position in society and is able to form and maintain stable relationships? Then again, is an ex-crack addict who threw her new born baby out with the trash fit to be a mother? The ultimate question is of course, what's best for Isaiah? With all this in mind, the whole movie just did not have the impact it required and will leave you untouched. All the acting is of a good standard, though never to the height it could have been. Both David Strathairn and Samuel L. Jackson ("Pulp Fiction") are hard pressed to do anything with their limited roles, Halle Berry shows she's on the rise with a convincing portrayal of Khaila, while Jessica Lange is strong but she's been infinitely better. In fact the most disappointing thing about Ms. Lange's showing was her appearance! She looked dreadful, as if she hadn't slept in days, and her hair was awful. Certainly a far cry from the gorgeous blonde in "Tootsie". It was great to hear another fine Mark Isham score. Tuesday, June 6, 1995 - Hoyts Forest Hill Chase

Just from reading the plot of Losing Isaiah, I felt the film is better suited to a Lifetime movie. But after seeing the film, I may have to change my mind because on the whole, it is a very powerful and impacting film about child custody and the best interests of the child. The film would have been so much better, expect the film didn't have an ending at all. I did not like the ending and that took down my rating a notch or two. But film will strongly affect everyone, especially those who tend to be politically correct. Stephen Gyllenhaal's film is about a custody battle over an abandoned kid between two women. One woman is a former black crack addict who is now sober and leading a better life, but not after abandoning her kid in a drug haze. The other woman is a white social services worker who has a well-off family and a nice place to live. Now the crack addict named Khaila decides to sue to get her child back. This film is strongly acted. Jessica Lange gives a hell of a performance as Margaret Lewin, who shows unconditional love to the boy. Halle Berry also delivers a potent performance as Khaila, the grieving mother who also truly cares for her son. Samuel L. Jackson makes a good appearance as Khaila's lawyer and David Strathairn was decent as Margaret's wife. Overall, Losing Isaiah is a great movie but it could have been more if it wasn't for that horrid ending that left me with even more questions. But there is no denying the emotion the film provokes and the sympathy that is created for each woman. Each of them has their faults, but both of them truly care for the kid which makes this custody case even more heart-wrenching. I wasn't even able to choose a side. But this is a great film and I'm surprised I haven't heard of it until now. With a better ending, the film would have been perfect. I rate this film 8/10.

"Just because you f***ed some junkie in a street corner doesn't make you his mother!" / dialogue from Losing Isaiah. The film starts with a drug addict (Halle Berry, who is surprisingly good.) goes around in one of Americas less glamorous blocks with a screaming baby. But the withdrawal symptoms becomes to strong and she lies the child in a container. When she wakes up the next day she can't find Isaiah. She is devastated. (Isaiah has been taken to the hospital when a couple of dust men found him.) Jessica Lange, Hollywood's best actress, plays the successful doctor that sees a little crack baby lying and screaming on the ward and thinks "Wouldn't it be nice to have one of those around the house?". She adopts the little fellow and raise him together with husband and daughter. The film jumps between Lange's family that take care of the kid and his biological mother, Berry who is building up a new drug free life. She eventually finds out that her child is alive and, of course, then wants him back. Lange doesn't want to let him go. Berry then hires a tough lawyer (Samuel L. Jackson) and trial it is. An interesting dilemma. And the film handles it good, very good. You really want to know who will get custody and which of the two mothers who gets the ending frame (and then 'wins' the film). The ending and the ending frame unfortunately is a cowardly compromise.

Here is a film that had the makings to be great. Performances are excellent all around, and the premise is very involving and potentially controversial. I thought they handled Berry's character well, showing us (in fairness) both the possibility for recovery of an addict, and the possibility, ever-present, of relapse into that lifestyle. The characters were believable and motivated, and the situation inherently dramatic. The trouble is that they obviously couldn't decide how to end the story without committing to a point of view which would alienate some of the audience. Instead, they end the story without resolving it, in a most frustrating and cowardly way. It's a shame to make such a good film, and then turn it bad.

Very heartwarming, inspirational, and touching film right from the heart. Losing Isaiah is a film based on the beautiful novel by Seth Margolis. The book and the film itself was outstanding. Wonderful acting by Halle Berry, Jessica Lange, Marc John Jefferies and the entire cast. The film deals with emotional issues of adoption and it's based on real- life situations. The story-line was filled with hope. Losing Isaiah was a sad and uplifting moving story, a recommendation for all families. The film and the novel is must watch and read for a lifetime. God bless this film. "and a child shall lead them." - Isaiah 11:6

LOSING ISAIAH is a moving and well-acted drama that takes a hot-button issue to an emotionally manipulative level but will involve you to the point of taking sides. Halle Berry plays a crack addict who, one night desperate to get high, leaves her newborn baby in a pile of garbage and when she returns after her mission, finds the baby gone. The baby is rescued and is eventually taken home and raised by a sensitive social worker (Jessica Lange) who decides to raise and adopt the hyper-active, crack-addicted baby as her own. In the meantime, Berry gets clean, wants her baby back and takes Lange to court to regain custody of her son. This is an involving story that provides a balanced account of an emotional issue and if you're really paying attention, you will find your alliance with the protagonists in this story switching from time to time. Lange is solid, as always, and Halle Berry works hard at being convincing as a reformed junkie. Strong support is provided by Samuel L. Jackson and LaWanda Richardson (the real-life spouse of Jackson)as Lange and Berry's attorneys, David Straithern as Lang'es husband, and Daisy Prince as Lange's daughter. No matter how hard you try to remain neutral, this film will suck you in and find you taking sides.