Ignore the pedigree: a writer from the Facts of Life directing Brendan Fraser, Sandra Bullock, Ludacris and Tony Danza…. a wacky summer blockbuster? Crash is a look at the prejudice that we all carry with us every day. This is not a perfect film, and having not yet seen Brokeback Mountain I cannot say which one should have won the Oscar for Best Picture (apparently, the race was between these two only…). There are parts of the movie early on that do not ring true, some of the dialogue is too-expository, and the actors seem uncomfortable and unnatural with this dialogue. As the film moves on, the story is told through more compelling dialogue and visual narrative, abandoning the director’s penchant early-on for Speilbergian explanations. The conclusion of Ryan Phillipe’s story said everything it needed to say with no explanation whatsoever. I wish the earlier dialogue had been as tight and less lazy. Show, don’t tell. The cast was excellent, but as in the true best picture of 1997, L.A. Confidential it was arguably the weakest member who got the recognition: Matt Dillon was okay, but his performance was not anywhere near as strong as the other principal cast members. And, although he is dreamier that his brother, I have always enjoyed Kevin’s performances more.

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