Award winning writer/director James Lapine pulls out all stops with this full on study of the US Family Law Court: its employees, several various related services, & families involved with some of its outcomes. This quite powerful production has the look of a made for Cinema feature that went straight to TV. Performances are first class, as is the cinematography and music score. Lapine has included many story elements (too many perhaps?) giving it the feel of a pilot for yet another upcoming endless series (thank heavens it was all wrapped up in a feature) & while there are unresolved situations, we know enough to fill in the spaces. Good looking and absorbing - can recommend 'Custody' for any lover of dramatic studies that deal with contemporary social issues.

I rarely comment on shows I watch but for some strange reason I felt I had to. I think all of the actors and actresses did an awesome job ! It is not an action movie so if you're looking for that, you're out of luck. I enjoyed the story and each person cast seemed to fulfill their role brilliantly. Especially Viola Davis, wish they would have focused a little more on her issue and Hayden's we never really got closure . . . . Overall excellent, can't really say a bad thing about it.

Let me first get my angst out of the way. I'm referring to the useless review contributed by "Da Rude". It should read "Duh Rude". Unfortunately, I had to read the review three times to try to comprehend what the point was. To no avail. You sound like you have a problem with U.S. Made motion pictures, the Academy, and simply enjoy griping. Do you have a personal agenda against someone involved in the making of this film??Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. As the other people contributing reviews of this film have essentially rated this an average "9", thus far, I agree. I've not to date, seen a performance less then excellent by Viola Davis and this film is no different. She just has a way of bringing real emotion to the screen as well as delivering a performance that gets you right in the chest. Her Co Stars do a terrific job as well and I felt the story was moving and thought provoking. It is no easy task telling a story about the legal separation of a child/children from a parent/parents. It is, obviously, a very tough subject to tackle and one which many people take a divisive stance on. IMO, illustrating the dramatic course one navigates from the perspective's of a single Mother, Judge and all the people involved in doing a job aimed at protecting the welfare of children is not an easy one. Custody" does so with realism, empathy, and humanity. This is not a feel good movie. It is not intended to be. It is, however, very much so worth watching and I believe most will get a glimpse into the tough process this film tackles, and will walk away happy they did.

I watched this, along with 2 other movies, this past week off the Lifetime Roku channel, and while the other 2 ("From Straight A's to XXX" and the Britney Spears one) were your usual laughable Lifetime fair, this one was actually pretty good. Viola Davis, who just won the "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar for "Fences", really steals the show here, showing how a judge's personal life can not only affect her attitude in the courtroom, but maybe even, to a certain extent, her sentencing? This had a really good ensemble cast for a Lifetime original; and I was sorta surprised, and maybe disappointed, that "Monk" himself, Tony Shalhoub, was kinda under-used in this?? Catalina Santino Maria (if I have that name right?), the star of "Maria Full of Grace", Dan Fogler (in a rare serious role, perhaps showcasing a future romantic leading man series of roles?), Hayden Paynettiere, etc.. co-star.