*** Official CRASH Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Richard Kim]

I found Crash to be one of the most overrated films of the year, heavy handed and overly preachy. I agree 100% with Matt that the events used to intertwine the various characters together seemed too far fetched and coincidental. For example, the white racist cop just happens to rescue the very same black woman he sexually molested earlier in the film. How convenient! Other ensemble films like Magnolia seem much more organic with the interrelationships with the characters, and handled it much better than Crash.

Also, let me just say that for a film that purports to promote racial tolerance and understanding, the Asian characters sure got the short end of the stick in terms of characterization compared to the other ethnicities: shrill one dimensional charactured stereotypes who deal in human trafficing. Very nice. :rolleyes

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Well, first it’s a movie. It’s not a documentary. It’s an art form trying to make something, say something, so reality or coincidences is not really an issue.

Also about the Asian characters, the old Asian couple looked like nice people but they were actually the bad people. So it’s in the vein of the movie, it’s the movie trying to convey that nothing is like how it seems. It’s not important that they were Asian. They could have been something else (hope this sentence is correct). There is a bigger picture to follow, the details are insignificant.

 

[Tino]

Very happy to see that, in addition to it's Golden Globe nominations for Matt Dillon and screenplay, Crash just picked up nominations for Best Film from the Producers Guild and best screenplay from the Writers Guild.

Hopefully, Oscar nominations are forthcoming for this tremendous film.

 

[JonZ]

"The problem is that Crash goes so far over-the-top and bears so little semblence to reality that it undermines itself."

Yea I saw this after my uncle kept pestering me to see it.

Instead of going thru the experiences with these characters I felt like I was being talked at. Its hard for me to explain.Some great acting,I especially liked Dillion, but for me it didnt work. It seemed very forced and "false".

I would recommend it I guess. Its very flawed but has some great moments in it and I think the great moments are worth seeing.

 

[Tino]

Kudos to Paul Haggis for his Directors Guild nomination today.

 

[Tim_Stack]

I haven't posted anywhere about Crash before because I was trying to think of a reason why some people really dislike this film, while others think it is fantastic. Also, my perception of how some people hate Crash is from many different sites, not just this one.

I loved Crash and I really connected to several of the characters and their situations. It kind of reminds me of "Falling Down" in how polarizing it is.

Now, I'm going to say something that people might not like, but so be it. I think that reason some people that really dislike Crash is that it struck a nerve. It isn't traditional in it's examination of the subject and some people do not like to be made to look at themselves. It really comes down to an individual's ability to put themselves in someone else's shoes and see their plight through a different set of eyes.

 

[Kyle_D]

I know I said I was through with my comments here, but I had to respond to this.



Nope. If the film had forced me to really look at myself and reevaluate some of my behaviors, then I would have admired the film a lot more than I did. You would have known this if you read and/or paid attention to my earlier posts. To ignore what I think are pretty rational arguments against the film (I haven't gotten any rebuttals from anybody refuting them, only that my criticisms weren't an issue for them when they saw the film - which I can accept) and to form broad prejudices/stereotypes about people who don't like the film is exactly the type of behavior the movie argues against. It is possible to dislike Crash without taking issue with its message.

 

[Stephen_L]

Just saw Crash and I enjoyed it. To be fair, the shrill tone of the film's characters was justified by the fact that most of the characters were forced into extreme situations (the cop's ill father not getting pain meds, the yuppie couple robbed at gunpoint, the black couple pulled over by a racist cop, the Persian store owner getting his shop trashed and insurance not covering it). In those circumstances, otherwise calm, rational people may fall back onto anger and predjudice to cope. I did not like the first half of the film because it made the point that everyone is bigotted, either overtly or will become so if necessary. The film redeemed itself when a few heroic characters emerged (the Persian shopkeepers daughter, the Hispanic locksmith, the hispanic housekeeper) and several more despicable characters showed the opportunity for redemption (the carjacker, the yuppie wife, Matt Dillons cop)

 

[Quentin]

I'm going to add some fuel to this conversation regarding a very well done film.

First of all, the film is not over the top or outrageous or overly manipulative or coincidental or forced or too broad. It is a collection of parables. It is SUPPOSED to be a modern FABLE and only partially related to "reality". The characters are just that - characters - they are not supposed to be 'real people', they are supposed to represent different aspects of humanity. Let's look at the first line of the movie:



That dialogue sets up what is to come: a collection of parables based in a simple conceit - that all these characters lives are intertwined on this day. You must accept this up front in order to prepare for what is to come. Now, I will admit that this is a style very much in contrast to a movie a lot of people seemed to want - the more subtle, reality based type of film. If you want that, then look elsewhere. This is NOT TRAFFIC, and it doesn't want to be.

But, criticizing CRASH for being exactly what it sets out to be is, to me, hilarious.

Secondly, this film isn't "about racism". I see that everywhere as people discuss the film. This film is about people. Sure, racism exists and Matt Dillon certainly struggles with it as do some of the other characters. But, not all of the characters here are racist and not all are dealing with racism. The locksmith is not racist. Sandra Bullock is not racist - she's scared and angry and isolated. Race is an intertwining theme here; but, the film is about how people act toward one another and how civilization and socialization have affected our interaction. Again - look at the Cheadle quote from the beginning of the fable. As with any good fable, it is letting you know up front what this story is about.

Third, there is only one completely good character in this film. The daughter of the Iranian store owner. Every other character here has multiple aspects, good and bad, right and wrong. But, as Matt Dillon says, "You think you know who you are? You have no idea." In other words, while the film is a broad fable, it does show people as they are - multi-faceted, emotional, and unpredictable.

Lastly, a word about racism and reality in L.A. I've lived here all my life in various parts in and around the city. I notice a lot of people from all over the country and world discussing this film. Yes, it is a fable; and, yes, the characters are broad representations rather than real people. But, I've got news for you all...it's not THAT over the top. Racial tensions can and do often run high. Bullets really do fly in many neighborhoods, and getting out can be really, really hard. The rich do run into the poor in lots of areas - and we have lots that are really rich and really poor. And, because we are such a melting pot of a city, everyone likes to think they 'understand' all cultures; and yet everyone is separated in their own car and their own world and interaction doesn't always work out as it should. That's human nature.

CRASH is absolutely one of the best films of the year. A modern fable about how people interact in American urban centers and how we deal with the various and different pressures, stereotypes, and prejucices (things we will never be rid of, but that we strive to overcome). Watch it again with that in mind.

 

[mattCR]

Has to be said: your 2005 Best Picture. This should see a surge in DVD sales.

 

[dpippel]

Perhaps you're confusing criticism of what it *IS* with criticism of what it sets out to be. Crash didn't work for me. Not at all. That's because of the film it is, not because of what it tried to be. I think the filmmakers reaped what was sown.

 

[Kyle_D]

Not my Best Picture. Sigh...

 

[Holadem]

CRAAAAAAAAAASH, Bebeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--
H

 

[Quentin]

Read my post again. It is EXACTLY what it set out and wanted to be. A modern collection of parables.

 

[Holadem]

--
H

 

[Quentin]

I missed that, Holo. You are absolutely, spot on with that take.

 

[Tino]

:b :b

 

[Michael Elliott]

I posted this earlier in the Track thread but here's my take on CRASH:



Various characters in L.A. go through various racial situations before they all “crash” in the end. I’m really not sure if I should give this film a BOMB rating or four stars so I’ll just settle on a two star rating. There’s no denying that there’s some truly remarkable stuff in this film but in the end I couldn’t help but feel there wasn’t any point to this movie. Black people are thugs. White people are scared of blacks for no reason. Foreigners can’t speak English. Racist whites molest black women. Blacks are ashamed to be black so they act white. What the hell was all of this suppose to mean in the end?

There’s no doubt racism is still a thing in this world but good God this film pushes everything to the limit. I’m sitting here typing this and I really don’t know what to say. I watched this movie with the girl I mentioned a few posts back and afterwards we went out to get a drink and discuss the film. She didn’t know what to say either. As with the screenplay, this write up will probably be all over the place but that’s where this film left my mind.

I had a very hard time taking anything in this film too serious because everything is just so over the top. The racial stuff in this film are more make belief than anything we’d see in a science fiction film and I’d say even Planet of the Apes is more realistic than this thing. Writer/director Paul Haggis writes a screenplay that is constantly preaching at the viewer and hitting the viewer over their head with his “message”, which is a message no one needs to hear. Everyone knows we shouldn’t hate just because of the color of our skin. This shit was talked about with various Sidney Poitier films back in the more racist 60’s so this film is doing nothing new. It’s not saying anything new. Also, unlike those Poitier films, this one here doesn’t work because of all the preaching.

Also, I read a few reviews that said the racists are redeemed in the end making this a very positive film but I’ve got to laugh at this as well. Not once did I feel I was watching a movie with characters but I saw all of these characters being pulled on a string. The screenplay shows us how ugly these racist people are and in the matter of one day they are peaceful and love all races. Again, bullshit. How long has racism been a part of this world? Since Christ walked the streets, right? And now this message film is redeemed because all these racists turn the other way over a day?

Another factor that really bothered me is something I hate in a lot of movies. It seems if a movie wants to be cute they get a cute little kid under the age of 5 to say a cuss word. This makes everyone in the crowd smile saying how cute it was to see a cute kid say a bad word. Talk about hypocrites but back to this film. The locksmith has a cute little daughter and the director jerks the viewer by giving her several cute little speeches, daddy tells her a cute story and then the director has us believe something bad happens to the kid. Again, just more preaching.

The greatest thing about the movie is its cast, all of which deserve Oscar nominations (with the exception of Sandra Bullock). Matt Dillon really steals the show as the racist cop and Terrence Howard really caught my eye as well. Of all the redemption stories the one dealing with Dillon is the only one that works because we get to know him the best of the group even though he’s one of the worst characters here. The scene with the overturned car was very powerful and the “message” here got across very well without having to preach.

I’ve written the above and so far have taken three smoke breaks because I’m trying to think of more to say but can’t. I really, really, really wanted to love this film but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I’m smart enough to know a white cop shouldn’t molest a black woman and I don’t need a film preaching to me about that. In 2005 we look back at dozens of films from the 1910s-1940s and call them racist in a bad way. I’m curious to know how people are going to look at films like this one in the year 2085.

 

[Ravi K]

The script tried to show "complexity" at times by having characters do opposing things (Matt Dillon helping Thandie Newton after having profiled her and her husband and groping her before, Ryan Phillipe not being racist but shooting Larenz Tate), but the whole thing came off as lazy caricaturing. It beats us over the head with characters being so overtly racist when racism is often more about the subtle messages about race ingrained into us. And when a character wasn't racist, like the locksmith, it felt like the token non-racist. Or when characters acted opposite to how they were set up, it didn't seem like a real portrayal of how we can act in different ways. It just came off as a poor attempt to show shades of gray in the characters.

Caricaturing is a valid approach and can be particularly effective in satire, but here I felt we really needed to see people as wholes and not as reductions to one aspect of their personalities.

"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something. "

Please remove the sledgehammer from my head, Mr. Haggis. Surely you can put the essence of these lines in the film without having a character say them...

If anything, Crash just makes me want to watch Do The Right Thing again.

 

[Chris Minogue]

In my opinion, Crash is a hollow, ridiculous, terribly written film chock full of bad caricatures in scenarios that insult the audience's intelligence.

It's sad to see such an important subject dumbed down and watered down to the point where it can be easily shoved down the audience's throat along with their popcorn and milk duds.

Crash was pure Hollywood fluff. It made audiences feel good about themselves. People told themselves that they had just seen a thoughtful movie despite the fact that the movie never once asks the audience to think for themselves.

I fully expect to see the Academy honor Big Mamma's House 2 next year for its poignant meditation on the epidemic of obesity in America.