I hadn’t heard anything about Crash when it was in theaters, and, from its description of being a movie about race relations, it would seem it was some liberal tripe. Still, after word of mouth and Roger Ebert’s glowing review, I put it on the Netflix list. Both the lovely and talented SarahK and I loved the film (which was annoying since we got half way through the movie to find out our disk was hopelessly scratched and then had to send for a new one). The film is hard to describe other than that’s it’s a very thoughtful character piece.
Apparently, Ebert picked this movie as the best movie of 2005, but some people as Slate.com consider it the worst movie of the year (you’ll have to search for it). Ebert responds (note to Ebert: when responding to something on the internet, link to it).
I certainly fall on Ebert’s side here. Anyone else seen the movie and have an opinion?
Roger Ebert, the guy who a few weeks ago screamed about videogames being “inferior” compared to movies – which, as we all know, were always considered high art – who is so reasonable he say he ‘cannot be convinced’ of the contrary, and who authored the script for some cheap softcore flick that even Uwe Boll wouldn’t want to direct?
I’d sooner consider Sheehan a foreign policy expert than listen to anything Ebert has to say. Like a clock that’s several minutes late, he can be still be occasionally accurate, however.
I’d say its easily the best movie I saw in 2005. I really enjoyed seeing how each charachter reacted when placed under the stress the plot had them in. For what its worth, all my friends who have seen it like it.
If you looked at it as a purely political film, I suppose you could come away not liking it. The film uses stereotypes to create the charachters and move the plot. I think the Slate author thought it was supposed to be a right-wing bashfest and reacted against it as such. The Slate author is also from LA and didn’t think it was an accurate portrayal of LA, which it most likely isn’t.
ok-to-good rating from me. Best of the year?
no
Very good movie. Great character development and excellent acting. Kinda weird, though. Not the best movie of 2005. (I have to go with Batman Begins for that title.) Crash is a little preachy, and in foreign countries it makes us look like a bunch of gun-toting, scared racists. That’s only half true.
Just added it to the queue.
And what’s up w/ the scratched Netflix discs of late?!?
Someone’s cat loose at the warehouse?
I really like this film. I thought it was going to be another tyrade about “being kept down by The Man”. But it really surprised me and the acting was superb. I especially like the story line with the Hispanic door repair guy working on making a good life for his family.
My husband watched it this past weekend and I was in and out of the room as he watched it (I can’t handle heavy levels of intensity from movies…life is hard enough in real life) and it seemed obviously contrived for that little ensemble to keep running into each other in a place as large as Los Angeles, but the point was definitely well made about preconceived ideas of people. Best movie of the year? Not sure. Better than Brokeback Mountain? Gosh, I hope so.
I liked it ok enough. Kind of refreshing to see a movie actually see all sides of the issues (not just claim to and then turn into just another apologist piece a crap)
Haven’t seen it yet, but I did read Joe Bob Briggs’ essay on it in his (wonderful) book, Profoundly Disturbing.
Supposedly, there’s some…interesting…sex scenes with Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette.
I don’t understand why everyone is talking about it now, though, since it was released in 1996.
“Like a clock that’s several minutes late, he can be still be occasionally accurate, however.”
That was such an airball, I hope it was intentional.
A broken clock is right twice a day.
crash was the best movie of 2005, if you like stereo-types. movies like this do nothing to encourage dialogue in america. it only adds mistrust and paranoia to an overly sensitive debate.
Wrong “Crash”, Dwight.
As for the Crash with Sandra Bullock, I did not care for it much. Was it the worst movie I have ever seen, no, I leave that spot for Jeepers Creepers. I did not feel that the charcters were that developed but pretty much fit the stereotypes, and that the situations they were put in were just way too convienient, mainly to force the entire story along as the “we shouldn’t stereotype each other”. It was not liberal feel-good drivel and the message behind the movie, that “we should not stereotype each other and live together in peace” mantra, is a good one. I just thought the movie was way overrated for what I saw…
Danny Noonan, thanks. It was bugging me too, but I didn’t want to say anything.
Jeepers Creepers the worst movie ever? haven’t seen it, but I can’t imagine anything being worse than “Tychus” with Dennis Hopper — absolutely awful. And shortly behind that is “Lobster Man from Mars” with Tony Curtis.
I loved this movie. It was thoughtful and understated at times while gripping at other times. It didn’t make me feel like I was a bad person but that it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more compassionate and it also made me feel hopeful. I would watch the whole thing over again just for the one scene. You know which one I’m talking about.
Believe it or not I considered letting my 13 yr old watch this movie since it so blatantly pointed out that everybody, EVERYBODY uses stereotypes, there’s no getting away from it and “Crash” was almost South Park-y in its “lesson learned” format. I liked it, I liked how all the characters tied together and I like how it surprises you about who the “good” guys are. A gigantic “GO SEE IT” from Sarasmom.
jonag, you obviously couldn’t understand the hispanic locksmith either. he was NOT a door repairman.
and yes, Bikermommy, the crash scene is worth the price of admission.
the worst movie ever is a tossup between Eye of the Beholder and The Thin Red Line.
p.s. don’t call movies “films”. it makes you sound pretentious. 😛
“Wrong ‘Crash’, Dwight.”
Shucky-darn. Next you’ll be telling me that Hollywood didn’t make a sequel to “The Adventures of Pluto Nash”.
This was definitely one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. My husband and I watched it together…we like movies where different sets of characters converge story lines. This one was very well put together. Interesting to see Sandra Bullock in such a different type of role.