Movie Review: Crash

I thought it sucked.

That's my short review. I think enough people went into enough detail when this movie first came out and then when it won the Oscar for best picture about how heavy-handed it is. Like an 8th grade history paper, the thesis is stated over the opening credits, then supporting examples (with minimal, implausible connections) are presented, then it sort of trails off at the end into montage sequences.

It's a film that deals openly with race. Sure, great. It has some strong acting. Ok. It also has some bad acting. But worst of all, the writing is awful. I'm not sure if the writer missed any cliches, I doubt it, he might have gotten in a few more if he added a couple more characters.

I also wondered, throughout the movie, if he'd seen Magnolia. There is a growing body of these patchwork movies set in L.A., with too many characters whose lives intersect over the course of a day and they all learn important, Family Ties-style lessons.

I was reminded of Magnolia most of all, because that film also took itself very seriously, had a culminating musical montage sequence, and a bizarre weather moment. Crash, though, just interested me far less.