Crash (2005) Rated: R for language, sexual content and some violence. Runtime: 113 mins. Director: Paul Haggis Writer: Paul Haggis (story); Paul Haggis (screenplay) Cast: Don Cheadle; Sandra Bullock; Matt Dillon; Jennifer Esposito; Brendan Fraser... complete cast Tagline: You think you know who you are. You have no idea. Genre: Drama/Crime
Memorable Quote: "In L.A. nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass"
Reel rating:
0/5
Reel commentary: ...In the end, this film will never make us better people, will never lead to tolerance, and will do nothing to eradicate this important problem. It is a contrived, unrealistic drama, full of characters that embody every stereotype imaginable, and its Oscar win is a victory for fabrication over genuine poignancy... full review
“Crash” is, simply put, the worst film of 2005; a work of such manipulation, condescension and contrivance that it has, naturally, managed to sucker punch everyone into falling for it. A middle school lesson about racism masquerading as a thoughtful examination of today’s society, it is foolishly directed and terribly acted. “Crash’s” worst crime, however, is that it ends up patronizing the very issue that it supposedly indicts.
The plot, if it can be called such, consists of a group of people living in Los Angeles who come into contact with one-another through a series of meaningful coincidences. These people are of various racial and ethnic backgrounds, which cause numerous conflicts between them.
Well, that is one summary. Here is another: there is a group of people in Los Angeles, and each one of them has prejudices; said prejudices may lead to premature assumptions, which in turn can set forth a potentially tragic chain of events. However, when the time comes to put aside their differences and rise to the occasion, suddenly race fails to be a problem. Which summary do you prefer?
Obviously, there is more to my sardonic comments than mere pragmatism. Thing is, there is not a single organic moment in the entire movie. In a ridiculous, self-indulgent and obvious scene, a white woman and her husband get their car stolen by two black men. Of course, this thievery is a result of the white couple crossing the street immediately upon seeing said men (yes, prejudice). Later, when the woman (Sandra Bullock) sees her locks being changed by a Mexican-American locksmith and believes that he will make copies of their keys to give to his fellow gang members, the director sympathizes with her behavior instead of chastising it.
Every scene is like this: pedantic and self-satisfied. I have been told by many that my intense dislike for this film comes about as a result of my unwillingness to submit to a suspension of disbelief. Look, when a film admits at the commencement that inhabits a world entirely separate from our own, I am all for it, which is why I have no problem with, say, a giant ape fighting three T-Rex’s. However, when a film like “Crash” tries to portray a societal problem “as it really is” but is devoid of a single scene even remotely accurate, I refuse to comply. The acting in the movie ranges from mediocre to awful. From the former we have Don Cheadle, a phenomenal actor completely underutilized herein, Terrence Howard, for whom the same can be said, and Brendan Fraser, who has a great personality but whom it would not kill to display a slight bit of versatility.
On the latter side, we have Sandra Bullock, who fails to breathe any life into her character, Matt Dillon, who possesses an encyclopedia of blank facial expressions, and Thandie Newton, who is melodramatic in every scene that she is in, overacting beyond all reason. The latter two are involved in a scene that has been praised as one of the year’s most powerful, but is really one of the most shallow and far-fetched.
As most of you know, “Crash” recently shocked everyone by winning the Academy Award for Best Picture over the heartbreaking, beautiful and complex “Brokeback Mountain.” Many blamed homophobia for this, which is possible, but I think there is a bigger reason. It is because the Academy bought “Crash”, both as a film that explored a crucial issue in our society and as one that will make us better people.There have been many films made about racial tensions, including Spike Lee’s masterpiece “Do the Right Thing” and John Singleton’s excellent “Boyz N the Hood.” Those films worked because they were realistic, because each scene got to the very core of the problem it was exploring. Crash goes in the exact opposite direction, and in the end barely scratches the surface of racism, stereotyping, and prejudice.
In the end, this film will never make us better people, will never lead to tolerance, and will do nothing to eradicate this important problem. It is a contrived, unrealistic drama, full of characters that embody every stereotype imaginable, and its Oscar win is a victory for fabrication over genuine poignancy.
