Pedantic and overdrawn - not worthy of Best Picture

Rating: 5/10 (8 March 2006)

I will admit right off to my bias. I loved Brokeback, and have seen it several times. I am gay and wanted it to win. I would rather see a so-so movie about something I am interested in than an outstanding movie about something I am not. And I think most people (movie critics included, except Roger Ebert who has the unique ability to move outside his own biases, even if I frequently disagree with his conclusions) are pretty much the same way. I have sat thru some pretty mediocre movies just because there was a gay romance in it. But Brokeback Mountain is one of the very best gay subject movies I have ever seen, despite some notable flaws.
With that said, I tired as hard as possible to be objective about Crash. But I found it to be heavy handed, contrived, and drawn in broad stereotypical strokes. It played like one of the better TV dramas. Actually, it seemed more like a diversity training film than a real movie: "In this section we see how Asians are often perceived as...." or "This is what African Americans have to deal with when confronted by city police..." We have heard it all before, it is not entertaining or fresh. I felt like i was being bludgeoned with the admonishment "Racism! It's racism! Everything was so obvious and laden with artifice. It just didn't ring true or engaging for me at all. Just about every single line and plot point in this movie is racially motivated. Do these characters do anything else? After about a half hour of this I wanted to scream "Make it Stop!" Certainly the issues raised in Crash are extremely important, but this movie is just overdone and without finesse.
On the plus side, there is fine acting and some interesting characters, and the movie is well put together, although nothing struck me as being terribly out of the ordinary.
Bottom line: Crash was boring!
I can only conclude that the Academy was either homophobic, was suffering from Brokeback fatigue, wanted to reward a home town movie, or maybe resented being dictated to about who the winner should be. Also Oscar often parcels out the major awards to several of the leading most deserving movies. That certainly happened this year.
Most likely reason: the heavy marketing strategy of the producers of Crash. It may not have occurred to everyone that not every Academy member sees every movie. It is almost like a political campaign. And i do think some of the more conservative members refused to see Brokeback Mountain. In the end, these awards don't mean a whole lot.
I am not one to play the "we were robbed" card, but when a movie has swept thru so many previous awards, and got such an overwhelming critical response (more than Crash), wins 3 Oscars, and then loses Best Picture, you have to wonder why.
There may arguably be a few "better" movies than Brokeback Mountain this year, but it should not have lost to Crash.