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Jessica Lange, Halle Berry, David Strathairn, Cuba Gooding Jr., Daisy Eagan ... see more see more... , Samuel L. Jackson , Jacqueline Brookes , Joie Lee , La Tanya Richardson , Regina Taylor , Marc John Jefferies

Two women of dramatically different social, economic, and ethnic circumstances find themselves locked into a bitter child custody dispute in this emotionally powerful drama. Khailia Richards (Halle Be... read more read more...rry) is a poor and drug-addicted single mother who, while stumbling out of a crack house one night, accidentally leaves her infant son Isaiah in a cardboard box near a trash heap. The next morning, Khailia realizes to her horror that she left her baby behind, and she runs back to the crack spot to retrieve him. However, the baby is missing, and after much search, she presumes that he must be dead. As it turns out, the baby was spotted in the nick of time by sanitation workers and rushed to a hospital, where at the insistence of social worker Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange) the baby's life was saved. Margaret's heart goes out to the baby, who, along with illnesses brought about by neglect, suffers from emotional and educational problems often associated with children whose mothers used cocaine during pregnancy. Margaret adopts Isaiah and raises the child with the help of her husband Charles (David Strathairn). Four years later, Khailia has successfully gone through drug rehabilitation and holds down a steady and responsible job as a nanny and housekeeper. She learns by chance that Isaiah is still alive, and she quickly hires an attorney, Kadar Lewis (Samuel L. Jackson), to help her reclaim custody of her son. However, Margaret loves the child and is not about to give him up without a battle in court. LaTanya Richardson plays Caroline Jones, the attorney Kadar Lewis squares off against in court; in real life, Richardson and Jackson are married. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

75% liked it

9,574 ratings

Critics

45% liked it

29 critics

R, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Stephen Gyllenhaal

Release Date: March 17, 1995

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DVD Release Date: September 9, 2003

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Stats: 544 reviews

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Jessica Lange in Losing Isaiah Halle Berry in Losing Isaiah Halle Berry & Jessica Lange in Losing Isaiah Jessica Lange & Halle Berry in Losing Isaiah Jessica Lange in Losing Isaiah Jessica Lange, LaTanya Richardson & David Strathairn in Losing Isaiah Losing Isaiah
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Flixster Reviews (544)

  • crazydannielle16
    May 12, 2010
    crazydannielle16
    A very sweet and touching movie. Extremely intense emotionally. I really didn't know who to root for... the adoptive mom or the real mom. I liked them both and felt for both.
  • Chosen718
    January 28, 2008
    Chosen718
    Good film, great performance by Halle Berry.
  • ileo
    December 15, 2007
    ileo
    A remarkable movie!
  • trisarahtops22
    September 9, 2007
    trisarahtops22
    Very emotional - hard to determine what side you're on
  • brandankurtis
    January 3, 2011
    brandankurtis
    The mood this movie creates is wonderful. I literally cried for this movie. I'm not someone who cries often, especially not because of movies, but this one moves me. Seeing both side of family love the boy so much. What pain it must be for them to lose him to someone else. Great ... read moreplot and great cast, too, except for the father.
  • psyclock7
    July 14, 2009
    psyclock7
    I got dragged to see this one and it turned out to not be that bad...It didn't hurt that it had Halle in it"
  • laraineperkins
    October 13, 2008
    laraineperkins
    what a good movie i cried when i saw that movie who puts a baby in the dumpster this is lyfe not a game or toy.
  • StaisilD
    April 17, 2008
    StaisilD
    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... read more 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. Based on the novel by Seth J. Margolis, the film sees baby Isaiah being abandoned by his drug addict black mother Khaila Richards in a bin shortly after his birth. He is found and taken to hospital where Margaret Lewin, a white doctor caring for him, decides to adopts him as her own child. Isaiah fits well into the Lewin family despite hailing from a different racial background and he grows into a happy, cherished little boy. But four years later, Khaila is back on the scene demanding custody of her son back now that she is clean. And it seems the Lewins' have a fight on their hands to keep the child since the family court system not only favours children being returned to their parents but also the idea of people only being allowed to foster/adopt children of the same racial background as themselves. The quality of acting was excellent from all members of the cast. Jessica Lange gave a great depiction as Margaret Lewin, the mother who doted on Isaiah with as much love as if she had given birth to him herself. Although, on the surface, it was quite hard to like Khaila Richards, Halle Berry gave the role substance and managed to make her an almost sympathetic character as the film went on. However, the real praise has to be reserved for the tiny Marc John Jefferies, who played Isaiah. Anyone who has ever said small children can't act or tried to excuse mediocre child acting on the basis of the child's age needs to see this boy's first-class performance despite the fact he must barely have been out of nappies when he appeared in this film. I found this film quite realistic in that respect and could completely empathise with the Lewin family's sense of helpless and disbelief as they risked losing their son to a mother who dumped him purely on the basis of they had the wrong skin colour and DNA. 'Losing Isaiah' certainly shows that a child's sense of security and love must always come first, regardless of what the biological mother wants or whether his skin tone matches his adoptive parents.
  • cuttdy
    February 24, 2008
    cuttdy
    Really great movie truly a sad story but great movie if you have not wacth it yet wacth it it is as good as they make movie now days
  • verseofserenity
    August 20, 2007
    verseofserenity
    this movie was so beautiful!
    it shows how drugs can cause one to lose their child plus show that adoption can bring so much love and joy

View All Losing Isaiah Reviews

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy
September 3, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

The material is emotionally wrenching, but the actors play sociopolitical totems more than flesh-and-blood characters. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
September 3, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

This is an absorbing and involving picture, but the terms propounded here limit the story, which depends almost entirely on emotions rather than on thought. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

This drama about interracial adoption is serious and affecting, thanks in large part to the presence of its two magnetic stars. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
June 18, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Losing Isaiah transcends the custody issue and finds drama in the black-white polarities that neither character can escape. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Not only does this lowest-common denominator conclusion backfire, it insults anyone who invested their time getting involved in the whole thing. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

While the subject may be controversial enough to merit an Oprah free-for-all, this evenhanded melodrama is neutral to a fault. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and written by Naomi Foner, deals with all of those issues, but in a finally unsatisfactory way. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Thought-provoking and dramatically-solid. Full Review

September 3, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Despite the fine leads and some well-crafted scenes, Losing Isaiah is apt to make viewers angry and frustrated no matter where they stand on the issues. Full Review

Leonard Schwarz
May 20, 2003
Leonard Schwarz, Palo Alto Weekly

TV movies get no worse than this.

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