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J. Robert Parks (The Phantom Tollbooth) writes, "Haggis is clearly of the school that says we need to get things out in the open—we've let the topic of race fester behind closed doors too long. Fortunately, he not only examines these racial dynamics but also how variations in power affect those dynamics."

Mainstream critics are giving it good reviews.

Andrew Coffin (World) says, "The strength of Crash rests in [screenwriter Paul] Haggis's readiness to allow for depth of character even in unattractive people, and his willingness to admit that racial distrust and hatred is born out of a complex web of rationales and experiences. However, he's so single-mindedly focused on race that racism exists almost entirely as a cause, not as a symptom—where it could be usefully seen in the larger context of fallen human nature."

Brett McCracken (Relevant) says, "When it comes down to it, Crash wrecks its chances of having the same impact of other provocative race films (like Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing) by trying to be too much. It tries to be exciting, sad, surprising and life-changing. It tries to sell a world in which every interaction is somehow race-related or a 'crash' of cultures. It is a world too hyperbolized to believe and less attuned to real human interaction than to archetypical Hollywood versions of it. Still, despite its imperfections, Crash contains important human truths and questions that need to be asked."

A ready-to-download Movie Discussion Guide related to this movie is available at ChristianityTodayMoviesStore.com. Use this guide after the movie to help you and your small group better connect your faith to pop culture.

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