Crash is an ensemble movie about racial issues. It follows a diverse group (a racist cop, a Latino who people stereotype as a gang member, to a middle class white couple who are carjacked by two black guys, and a Muslim who is trying to protect his store) on an average day in Los Angeles. We see how everyone’s actions helps create racial stereotypes and tension as they all cross paths.
I loved this movie despite what all the critics seemed to think about it. There was an amazing and diverse cast. I think Sandra Bullock gave one of her best performances in this movie and she should have got a Best Supporting Actress. One of the few awards it did win before the Oscars was the SAG award for best ensemble cast. I think it was very fitting for this movie since there was not one main actor or actress but each person was a supporting player. While it was not subtle on its agenda (which is why I think a lot of critics did not like it) I found it very thought provoking and touched on some very difficult subjects. It ended up winning only 3 awards (Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing) which is one of the lowest for a movie that won Best Picture.
The movie that had the most buzz going into the Oscars that year was Brokeback Mountain about two cowboys that fall in love and have to hide it from everyone. Another movie with some great performances especially by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal . The movie was an unconventional love story and marked the first time a story about homosexuals got such high praise. The movie won almost all the pre-Oscar awards including The Writer’s Guild, Directors Guild, and Producer’s Guild and was the first time that a movie had won all three but lost Best Picture. It did win Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Score. My problem with the movie is not that it is about gay cowboys but that it is a love story. I found the movie very boring and I am just not a fan of real dramatic love stories.
There are many theories on how Crash beat Brokeback Mountain and none of the theories has to do with the fact that Crash is a better movie as I believe it is. Of course the main theory is that a lot of the older members of the Academy are homophobic and wouldn’t vote for a movie about gay lovers. This point has been made over and over and now it seems like anyone that says they didn’t like it means they must be homophobic. Another theory why Crash won was the amount of money that Lionsgate put into promoting the film. The spend $4 million promoting a film that cost $6 million to make. But it was a movie that came out over the summer and very few people saw so they promoted it a lot. My theory on it is this. I think that the largest voting bloc in the Academy are actors and this was a movie that actors loved (as evidence by its win at the SAG Awards). While directors get to vote for Best Director and Screenwriters get to vote for best Screenwriting everyone votes for Best Picture. With the amazing and diverse acting in Crash I think it won over the actors and actresses more than critics or other people. But there is no telling what happened but it was a major upset and a lot of critics are still pissed, but you don’t hear any outrage over Shakespeare in Love beating Saving Private Ryan which I think is more egregious.
While there was a lot of press over these two movies there were actually other movies that came out that year. George Clooney had a big year. He was nominated for producing, directing and writing Good Night, and Good Luck (the last full black and white movie to be nominated for Best Picture) about Edward R. Murrow and for Best Supporting Actor in Syriana. With a total of 4 nominations for two separate movies his only win was for Syriana. Another one of my favorite films of the year was Memoirs of a Geisha which got 6 nominations but none for any major categories it should have at least won for John Williams Score. Walk the Line about the life of Johnny Cash was another good movie with some great performances by Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix both earning nominations and Witherspoon winning for Best Actress.
Other movies that got no love from the Academy was The Chronicles of Narinia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and The 40 Year Old Virgin (my two favorite movies of the year).
The other big surprise win at the Oscars that year was for Best Song which went to “It’s Hard out there for a Pimp” from Hustle and Flow beating out favorite Dolly Parton for “Travelin’ Thru” From Transamerica.
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