Overly simplistic and heavy-handed

Rating: 4/10 (6 March 2015)

While CRASH is most assuredly a technically well-made film, there is absolutely nothing it has to say that couldn't be ascertained from paying a little attention in the real world. Racism is definitely a problem in America (and the world), but all this film seems to have to contribute to that discussion is that it's bad. To make matters worse, every single character in the film is a stereotype. And there's also too many characters to begin with. You learn a little bit about them and their lives, but the running time didn't really allow for a deeper examination of these people and why they are the way they are. All of the performances were good, to be sure, but it was all in service of a heavy-handed script that approaches the issue of racism in the most skin-deep way possible. Despite the film's title, implying a certain degree of chance in one's encounters, every moment in the film felt calculated and calibrated for maximum emotional impact in a way that undermines the seriousness of the issues it wanted to address. At the end, no one really learns anything and, as an audience member, I was left wondering what the point was exactly. From a technical standpoint, though, the film is fairly solid. The movie is about, and (presumably) shot in, LA and the filmmakers did a good job of capturing it on film, especially in the night time. The cinematography was actually kind of beautiful, in contrast to the ugliness of the characters. I'll even give credit to the score for being relatively toned down, letting the rigged emotional stakes of the film stand out that much more. When all is said and done, I'm also left wondering how in the world this shallow nonsense ever won Best Picture. Although well-made and well-acted, it just seems like the Academy gave themselves a pat on the back for even acknowledging that racism exists. The subject deserves better and more thorough treatment than it got with this film.