Grant, played with weary optimism by Michael B. Jordan (TV's «The Wire,» «Friday Night Lights»), was no saint: He'd served
time in jail on drug - related charges (we see this
in a
brief flashback), frustrating his loving mother (Octavia Spencer, a beacon of strength here); lost his supermarket job for showing up late too often; and wasn't always faithful to his girlfriend (Melonie Diaz) or sufficiently attentive to their daughter (Ariana Neal).