1 movie, 15 plot lines...the clash between real life and fantasy

I think CRASH has played longer in Austin then anywhere else, mostly on the basis that Sandra Bullock once tried to build a house here. I went to a mid-week matinee showing and was surprised to see 50 other people there. My delay in seeing the Paul Haggis (screenwriter: MILLION DOLLAR BABY) written/directed movie caused mainly by a trailer which bore a striking resemblence to one of my favorite movies of the last few years, MAGNOLIA. Erin saw the film over a month ago and loved it... so I figured I better go see it...

And guess what, it bore a striking resemblence to MAGNOLIA. But that wasn't neccessarily bad. For those who didn't see/can't remember, Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia follows a huge ensemble of characters loosely connected by birth or chance encounters, each one spiralling out of control in their own self-created disaster until they stop, sing about it, and are saved by a mystical storm of frogs because, well, "these things happen." And that's the point of the story, chance occurrences are anything but and their is a magical force working in the world. All the stories are tied up and everyone achieves a bloom (like a magnolia flower) by the end of the film.

CRASH says, in the immortal words of Ice T back in the early nineties "shit ain't like that! it's real fucked up!" This film also has an all-star cast and takes place over 24 hours where everyone is loosely connected by birth or chance encounters... but, where Anderson's film leaves you with a feeling that something is protecting us, Haggis seems to be telling us that life is more complex than that. THe way all the story climax one after the other, and the way some resolve well, others, well, not so well ... it rings much truer. Magnolia is a fantasy, it is powerfully created to take us on a journey to an end. Crash is just that, a messy destructive accident that leaves some unharmed and others permanently scarred (or dead). They are equally moving and effective. The ensemble in Crash is phenomenal with standout work from Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Terrance Howard and Ludacris (those two need to keep making movies together) and Ryan Phillipe. Sandra turns in what may be the best performance of her career in a role you would never expect. The writing is top-notch and really gets us into the character's lives even with just short snippets. THis is especially exemplery considering Crash had one less hour in which to work than Magnolia. Another advantage that Crash has going for it is a stronger theme rtunning through the film. It is mainly about racism, not the traditional 'we don't serve your kind here,' but the more informative and prevelent snap judgements we make about everyone we meet ... and how those play out in the long run. Crash is very good at making you feel a certain about a character and then showing you an hour later how wrong you were. In fact the only element where Crash fails the comparison is the music, which is at times, over the top and too showy. Of course, Magnolia was essentially written around the songs of Aimee Mann, so you would have to expect they would fit better intot he story.

Still, I highly recommend CRASH for lovers of drama, ensemble stories, people who think they aren't racist, and people considering a move to LA anytime soon :). Rick's Rating: A-