spoon-fed drama

Rating: 5/10 (17 October 2007)

Crash is not nearly as good as everyone has hyped it up to be and here's why: The film is filled with drama and it's mostly forced. What I mean is, the film abandons logic so we conveniently find characters facing the most dramatic, heart-wrenching scenarios imaginable. Of course, this ignites emotion out of the audience, but the drama is spoon-fed and the reason is because it doesn't hold true to story and, in some cases, character. In simpler terms, once you discover the film's dramatic pattern, the characters and story mostly feel fake. And consequently, you may realize that what you're watching isn't a true and real story, but an obvious attempt by the filmmakers to bury the audience in drama so they have no choice but to shed a tear. In addition, most of the movie feels like a music video. These filmmakers feel like the only way they can successfully weave together this large cast of characters without confusing the audience is by adding music to most of the film. Camera movements, acting and editing are all dictated by the music. That's when you know you're watching a music video. Plus, the music is not very good. The soundtrack makes you want lay inside an empty bathtub and down a bottle of aspirin tablets. All in all, the movie is full of silly coincidences that audiences mistake for good screen writing. It's a film that banks on America's vulnerability to films on racism. However, with all that said, I don't want to come across as Mr. Negativity. Here are some good qualities about the film that get lost in its desperate attempts to spoon-feed its audience: Performances by Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, and Terence Howard; their characters were the best written of all in the film and, despite having their characters flung into unrealistic situations, they managed to turn in believable performances. Also, keep an eye out for the relationship between Bullock's character and her housekeeper. This portion of the film tends to be overlooked because it's the least tear- jerking, but it may be the best presented. And, despite the films flaws, it attempts an important and somewhat original message. That's more than I can say for most modern-day Hollywood films.