Pretentious focus on BIG issues leaves no room for characters

Rating: 5/10 (30 May 2005)

I just came home from seeing this film. I was prepared to like it. I've got only good things to say about "Magnolia" and "Short Cuts", and I'll also speak well of "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing". But this one turned me away, and for this reason: It wasn't about characters; it was driven by its theme and its "message". Thus it became bombastic and heavy-handed. It did a nice job capturing the racial posturing and racial politics that are so endemic in our modern culture, but that sort of exposé makes for lousy drama. Where I was supposed to feel the anguish of the characters in my gut, instead I felt the manipulative hand of the writer/director on my shoulder. I'm not saying the film was terrible, but it simply failed to reach me. I salute the effort, but I can't recommend it.
I just want to note that it *is* possible to offer social commentary without pulling the rug out from under your characters. For example, I loved "The Incredibles", which managed to struggle with issues of individuality and a couple of other timely topics, and nevertheless succeeded dramatically. But you came away from "The Incredibles" thinking about the characters and not its deep relevance.