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When Paul Haggis’ Crash was released in 2005, film critic David Edelstein, then of Slate, was not impressed, calling its overwrought storytelling about modern-day race relations “preposterous at every turn.” In the film, a hodgepodge of mid-’00s midlevel stars—including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon, and yes, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges— “crash” into one another, both figuratively and literally, while trumpeting grandiose, offensive racial stereotypes.
But Edelstein was in the minority then; it’s hard to believe now, but there once was a time when the indie film was, if not beloved, at the very least, well-liked by most critics and audiences. In his four-star review, Roger Ebert wrote admiringly, “the characters seem real and plausible after only a few words. [Haggis’] cast is uniformly strong; the actors sidestep clichés and make their characters particular.” Crash currently holds a 75 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed nearly $100 million worldwide, on a budget of less than $10 million.
And then it beat out Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain at the 2006 Oscars ceremony—and suddenly, Crash came to encompass everything people despise about the awards, and, by extension, Hollywood. Ten years later, it’s widely viewed as the “safe” choice for voters who wanted to pat themselves on the back for nominating a socially conscious film, but not one that was too progressive in the way that the cowboy love story was. Awarding the film Best Picture was, perhaps “the worst voting decision in academy history.” And it’s become the laughingstock poster-child for Hollywood movies about white progressive guilt. In this special episode of Represent, Haggis spoke with me about the criticisms he’s received over the years, and how he views Crash today.
Check out what the critics had to say:
- Worst Movie Of The Decade by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Crash and Fizzle by David Edelstein
Check out other Panoply podcasts at itunes.com/panoply.
Email: represent@slate.com
Facebook: Slate Represent
Twitter: @SlateRepresent, @craftingmystyle
Production by Veralyn Williams.
