Touching just to feel

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2005)

In the clever opening sentences spoken by Don Cheadle, the movie's message is quickly understood. It is a movie about interaction, about the way we all come together for the most random and seemingly uneventful occurrences in our daily life. It plays with race relations involving the whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. The dialog is always talking about race, but never does it go over the top to the point of becoming repetitive nor does it ever seem like we are being read an essay.
I must admit I was more than hesitant about seeing a movie in which Ludicrous played a major role, but he, and the rest of the cast, played some of the most interesting and real characters I have seen in a long time. They play roles of what should be stereotyped characters, but for some reason they aren't. Director and Writer Paul Haggis was able to stretch these characters stereotypes all the way without breaking the bonds that keep characters real.
Possible issues of concern for this movie are the way that the movie is so intertwined that it could be seen as "unbelieveable," and its sometimes predictable nature. Where as I personally believed every twist as something that could happen in our daily world, I could understand how somebody may not. And as for its predictable nature, this is one of the few films where knowing what might come next really doesn't hurt its impact.
The movie, to me, sends reminders of the movie Magnolia, the way we are all connected through the most twisted of eternal plans. So if you enjoyed that movie I do not doubt that you will enjoy this one. It is, in all seriousness, one of the few movies I have ever wanted to stand up and clap for. I don't know why, it was not a flawless film, but the characters had me hooked. I promise that you will leave the movie feeling uplifted and with a greater understanding of just why we work the way we do.
Rating: Studly (Highest)