Highway Robbery

"Not since Titanic," one of my-coworkers lamented this morning in the heat of Post-Oscar buzz "has a best-picture win been this surprising." He was hardly alone. Less than 24 hours since the Kodak theater was packed with stars and Jon Stewart's trademark sarcasm, the backlash and the praise depending on which side of the fence you're on had already started to roll in. The arguments have ranged from Titanic comparisons like the one listed above to the extreme right-wing flip-floppers I've encountered who have gone from blasting Hollywood's lack of moral decency to praising its support of traditional values. This is, of course, to be expected. On the list of things people will always argue about to no end, you're likely to find three things: religion, politics and movies. What's fascinating about this year's response, however, is the driving force behind almost every comment I've either read or heard, positive or negative, seems to be not this year's winner, but the loser: Brokeback Mountain.

Like it or not, Titanic's win was hardly a surprise. It had the support of die-hard fans that saw it six times and wept on every occasion. It had the distinction of being one the highest grossing nominees ever and the considerable difficulty of it's production to boast. Crash has neither. Brokeback Mountain's domestic gross alone comes close to matching Crash's overall worldwide gross of 83.4 Million. And the sad story we've been given on how hard it was for a movie as "controversial" as Crash to get off the ground does nothing to eclipse the years Brokeback Mountain spent languishing in the industry waiting for actors and producers brave enough to get behind it. So what exactly is compelling people to make comments like "Thank God Crash beat Brokeback Mountain" which I've found littered across message boards or spoken by the supposedly open-minded individuals I've encountered? They don't strike me as similar to the passionate gushing of obsessive fans I encountered in Titanic's defense. And they certainly seem to forget that there were four other losers. It seems to me that quite simply, there are more Brokeback Mountain haters than there are Crash lovers.

There is obvious evidence of this of course; Crash didn't have essays written on how it contributes to America's moral decay. Try as it might, it didn't spark nearly as much debate as Brokeback Mountain did. And on a subtler level, there potentially exists a contingent of individuals who hoped on the Crash brandwagon as a result of Brokeback Mountain backlash--average, ordinary people who weren't gushing about Crash nearly as much when they first saw it. People who liked it, but weren't necessarily starting best picture campaigns. Average, ordinary people still potentially as unaware of their subconscious prejudices as their favorite film Crash tried desperately to point out. And why does this matter?

Because as the post-Oscar dust settles, Crash "supporters" will try to tell us that its aim was daring, that its message was powerful, and that its impact was immeasurable. They'll tell us it's the kind of film that will be felt for years to come. They will try to make us forget the uphill battle Brokeback Mountain faced, the social debate it sparked and its position as the only film nominated this year with a stake in cinematic history. As good and important as Crash's message was, it joins a long list of powerful films that deal with race relations in America; and moreover, as any Avenue Q fan can tell you, the film doesn't necessarily go any deeper in its 2 hours than the musical does in the 5 minute song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist." For all that has been said about it's daring, unless I missed a scene or two, Brokeback Mountain didn't feature Jack getting shot with BLANKS. Ennis really loses Jack, and the emotional repercussions ripple as subtly and powerfully throughout the film as its social impact undoubtedly will.

And yet, for anyone attempting to remain liberal without necessarily aligning themselves with the sinister "homosexual agenda," Crash provides a serviceable substitute. A sentiment Sandra Bullock's character may have shared in terms of minorities. Before being attacked on the street, we are lead to believe her character would never have voiced her hidden fears and prejudices. An important message to be sure, but one that makes me wonder if it got through.

In a year that featured George Clooney declaring his pride at being considered "out of touch" and Nicole Kidman describing Jack Gyllenhall's role as "precedent-setting," it seems odd that the Academy as a whole didn't recognize the film itself for that very same reason. We cannot know for sure if it was Brokeback Mountain's theme that kept it from winning the best picture nod it, in my opinion, undoubtedly deserved, but if so, I can only marvel at the irony involved in Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain because Hollywood wasn't able to look past it's hidden prejudices.

I sincerely hope that wasn't the case. And yet, consider this breakdown of the pre-Oscar awards garnered by each of the films:

Crash:

Chicago Film Critics Association
Image Awards
SAG (best ensemble)

Brokeback Mountain:

BAFTA Film Award
Boston Society of Film Critics
Broadcast Film Critics Association
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
The Director's Guild
Golden Globes
Independent Spirit Awards
London Critics Circle Film
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
New York Film Critics Circle
PGA Golden Laurel Awards
San Francisco Film Critics Circle
Satellite Awards
Southeastern Film Critics Association
Vancouver Film Critics Circle
Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion
The Writer's Guild

Like I said, I can't say for sure what happened last night, but it just doesn't seem to add up. And if you can't stand it, you've got to fix it.