Irishchatter I honestly felt sorry for poor Isaiah on what he was going through. The mother being a drug addict and just dumping him in a box. Unfortunately in real life, there are people out there who don't look after themselves and their kids in maintaining life together. In my personal opinion, I think people shouldn't bring their kids into the world if they can't look after them. It would be a concern for both safety and reputation for any adult,child teen or baby to not live in a suitable environment which is a danger for themselves!Anyways back to the movie, I honestly thought that mentioning a person's color just to make the other person feel bad was wrong to put in this movie. I hated the way Samuel L. Jackson's character kept going on and on about being a color to raising another color and the way he said it, it sounded like he was wrong! I'm not mentioning colors but I hated how himself and Halle Berry ' s character kept ranting on about it! Very tense I swear! I really was upset for Isaiah when they took him away, it really breaks your heart especially at his young age! It's very stressful for a child to get back to reality and that, he was so attached to his adoptive parents! Even though at the end, the movie didn't give us the resolution we wanted to but, my hope is that he gets to see both parents and that he'll become a great man!It was good to see Jessica Lange, Halle Berry,Cuba Gooding Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson on this. Such legends!

Chris 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

goldstje I find it interesting that so many reviewers mistakingly describe the Lang character as the "foster parent"-she actually adopts him years before the birth mom returns for him. From a legal/social work perspective, this movie is in outer space. Which may be great for melodrama, but does a disservice to the thousand of children in this country who are available for adoption and languishing in foster care. The film is irresponsible, because it reinforces common misperceptions about adoption and encourages the deepest fears of those who might consider adopting. Every state has a statute of limitations for appealing termination of parental rights prior to adoption. Birth parents cannot return to the scene years after an adoption has been finalized to contest the validity of the termination of their parental rights. The race-based position of the bio mom's lawyer, whatever its merits from a moral perspective, would never make it into court. There is federal law against this. As other reviewers have noted, foster parenting is a different story and there is typically a strong push in favor of reunification with the biological parent before rights are terminated.

gcd70 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