A Movie that Just Isn't that Good

I started reading about the buzz it was generating last year. People described it as this powerful, moving film that really changed your perspective about people of different races. With my interest peaked, I watched it, hoping to experience what others had raved about. Only I didn't.

Don't get me wrong, Crash isn't a bad movie. But I was stunned when it won Best Picture earlier this year at the Academy Awards. In fact, I couldn't even believe it was nominated for Best Picture.

The major problem I had with the movie is that I felt like it tried too hard in forcing its message upon us-that people of different color don't usually get along well, but we're all connected and we all need each other. That's an important message, but to me, its delivery was depicted with racial slurs and prejudicial actions that were over the top to the point of being ingenuine. In short, Crash didn't hit me.

Or maybe the problem is that I knew how I was supposed to feel after watching the movie. I think some of the best movies you see are the ones you go into with little prior knowledge and no expectations. That was Almost Famous for me.

UPDATE: Apparently I'm not the only one who was thumbs down on Crash. These people responded to Entertainment Weekly's solicitation for movies that people just don't get:

• "It's like having a sledgehammer marked 'RACISM' smashing into your head for two hours. -Faith
• "Never have I been more ticked off on Oscar night... Crash was a farce, a movie that only people who don't watch many movies would like. I liked its message about racism, but the script was just way too contrived. And really, are we supposed to feel sorry for a guy who steals people's cars at gunpoint? He got what he deserved, unlike this movie's creators! -Snoogins
• In 10 years it'll be a camp classic. Never have so many serious actors tackled such serious material so seriously-and thrown around so many racial epithets. Just so you don't waste your time, I'll sum it up for you: Racism is bad, m'kay? And racism pushed Sandy down the stairs. -gazzer