Good solid movie, but didn't deserve best picture.

Rating: 7/10 (1 May 2009)

Now don't get me wrong... this is a great movie, and I am in no way saying it is over-exaggerating the problems of prejudice in big cities like LA.I'm just saying it could have been much better. Starting with the pros: It was a good script, with good directing and good cinematography. It held my interest from beginning to end, and there were several tear-jerking emotional scenes in there. "Crash" also had it's fair share of (incredibly) dark humor which leave you amused yet horrified at the same time. And now on to the cons... One huge problem in this movie was the casting. In several cases, the quieter, calmer scenes were over-acted, which made what might have been great lines unbelievable. The actors themselves are not bad at all, but they felt a little awkward in these specific roles. If the casting were a bit better, there would have been just one more problem for the movie, which is... subtlety. (of which this film has none) With all movies, there is a message that is trying to be conveyed. In great movies like Slumdog Millionaire, The Wall, and Doubt, the message is very subtle, as opposed to painfully obvious and screaming off the screen. The entire message of this movie was "Racist people live in Los Angeles", and it felt like that message was being shoved down my throat through a funnel that was way too small. Call me crazy, but this blatant preaching is a big pet peeve of mine in movies. So my overall consensus: A great movie, but there were others that should have gotten best picture over it.