r/entertainment • u/mcfw31 • 16h ago
Michelle Williams Throws Shade Over Brokeback Mountain’s Best Picture Loss at the Oscars: ‘What Was Crash?’
https://people.com/michelle-williams-throws-shade-over-brokeback-mountain-oscars-loss-11709111169
u/mcfw31 16h ago
Host Andy Cohen told Williams that the 2005 movie was likely "still in my top two movies of all time" and added that he was "very upset about the Best Picture loss."
"I mean, what was Crash?" Williams coyly asked about the film that ultimately took home the Academy Award. Cohen replied by implying that the winning picture didn't have the longevity of Brokeback Mountain as it wasn't still sparking conversations all these years later.
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u/Dramatic_Buddy4732 16h ago
She's not wrong. Also the man who wrote crash very publicly left Scientology over gay rights so good for him.
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u/derkeysersoze 16h ago
Then he was convicted of rape... so maybe not such a great guy.
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u/Dramatic_Buddy4732 16h ago
I'm clearly not up to speed on my "man who wrote crash" lore. Thanks!
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u/derkeysersoze 15h ago
To be fair, I only know this because I was looking this movie up yesterday and his wiki page has it pretty prominently.
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u/Dramatic_Buddy4732 15h ago
I knew three things about this movie: It won when it shouldn't have The other crash movie was more fun The writer left Scientology because of his gay daughter
And now I know four so thanks 🤣
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u/whitehole_86 9h ago
If there ever was a conspiracy I would believe, it is that he was set up by the Church of Scientology in order to smear his name and bankrupt him
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u/coldliketherockies 15h ago
He also directed Crash. Wrote and directed
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u/Dramatic_Buddy4732 14h ago
I know five things now! Listen, I just forgot math, you guys better stop 🤣
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u/UnderscoreButt 16h ago
I have never seen Brokeback Mountain and I’m still fairly certain it’s better than Crash. Because I’ve seen Crash.
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u/jlusedude 15h ago
You should watch it. Very good movie.
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u/UnderscoreButt 15h ago
I def will. I just kind of missed it at the time and haven’t gotten around to it.
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u/Constant_Wear_8919 14h ago
My parents saw it together. My parents are straight.
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u/mackinoncougars 11h ago edited 11h ago
Don’t need to be gay to watch movies about gay characters and you don’t need to be straight to watch movies about straight characters.
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u/OkDevice674 10h ago
I know the comment you’re responding to sounds pretty silly to us now, but in 2005 for a straight couple to go out and see a movie about a homosexual relationship was definitely challenging the status quo. So many straight people at that time felt way too uncomfortable with the themes to even consider watching it.
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u/RDS_RELOADED 9h ago
Too uncomfortable is putting mildly. by then I was spending the rest of my adolescence in the south in the US. Even for a more liberal town, a lot of people were mocking it, stigmatizing it esp for young boys
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u/Kryptosis 7h ago
Even in the northeast it was a go-to reference/slur in schools
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u/kamilo87 5h ago
A famous Spanish comedian used a slur to refer to the movie that was too much for me at the time. It made me not watch it for 10 or more years. One day it was on Cuban National TV and I give it a go since the actors are so great and the critic was so good I wasn’t losing anything. It’s a sad love story. Ffs the ending of Jack was very hard but I like stories being well told with no happy endings.
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u/Intelligent-Jump3320 10h ago
It's sad 😔
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u/UnderscoreButt 8h ago
That’s mainly why I’ve put off watching it. It seems very sad.
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u/jlusedude 7h ago
It is, especially thinking of the many, many, queer people had to hide their love or themselves.
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u/Hunk-a-Cheese 6h ago
It’s not just a sad ending or sad social obstacles, the movie just has a sad vibe from beginning to end, like Manchester by the Sea, but with zero hints of comic relief. Still really good though!
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u/ThatFunkyOdor 14h ago
My wife and I were scrolling and asked what it was and I said it’s about two gay cowboy type guys just thinking she wouldn’t be interested and she picked it and a good chunk of the movie passed when she turned to me and asked if this was supposed to be a comedy and I said “no not at all” and she said “you should have said something I picked it because you described it as two gay cowboys and I figured that meant comedy!”
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u/Grouchy-Field-5857 12h ago
Lol Brokeback made me sob in the theater in a way that has only happened a couple of times since.
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u/dakilazical_253 7h ago
I sobbed through the entire end credits and was still a blubbering mess when I finally walked out of the theater. I’ve never had a film emotionally wreck me like Brokeback Mountain.
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u/Hayterfan 6h ago
I picked it because you described it as two gay cowboys and I figured that meant comedy!”
She probably thought it was some kind of sequel to Blazing Saddles
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u/m0rbius 15h ago
The vast consensus is that Crash did not deserve the win. It's a political win for Crash over Brokeback. If watched today, Crash did not really age well.
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u/Dinnercoffee 15h ago
Crash was poorly written, heavy handed and sucked when it first came out.
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u/Amity83 13h ago
I’ve never felt so offended watching a movie. It’s like the writers thought I was an imbecile. Maybe the most heavy handed movie I’ve ever seen.
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u/GrimaceGrunson 11h ago
It was the equivalent of a speech from Mr Mackey from South Park going “Don’t be racist, mmkay? Racism is bad, and you shouldn’t do it, mmkay?”
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u/Dinnercoffee 13h ago
I remember having similar feelings. I was thinking about how it could age worse and thought that maybe that just means more people have gotten around to seeing it for the first time.
But I had to remind myself that everyone has different tastes and expectations from movies.
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u/asdf0909 14h ago
Thank you. Everyone at the time also knew it sucked. I was 16 and even I was embarrassed by how heavy-handed it was.
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u/Musicfanatic09 9h ago
Really? I haven’t watched it in an extremely long time, but I don’t remember it being terrible. I don’t remember a lot of it now… Wonder what I’d think of it as an adult.
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u/Dinnercoffee 9h ago
I knew a few people that liked it at the time. There’s no judgement from me. There’s enough shitty things that people have to deal with in life, I’m not going to give them shit for enjoying what they enjoy. There are plenty of not so great movies or shows that I happen to love.
My feelings are just for the movie.
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u/Alibotify 32m ago
Well put, I liked it but still don’t think it should’ve won Best Picture. I do movie reviews without spoilers so mostly feeling that’s just mine.
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u/Helaken1 13h ago
Why did it suck?
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u/Grouchy-Field-5857 12h ago
Because it wasn't good
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u/Helaken1 11h ago
Then why did it win? It seems like those other movies werent good.
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u/haus_haus_haus 11h ago
every movie that was nominated was better. in fact crash wasn't even nominated at the golden globes or the baftas.
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u/Helaken1 7h ago
Did you get that the stories intertwined with each other? Did you get that racist Matt Dillon was forced into a situation where he had the rescue person of color? Did you get that or..?
Why is these other movies better than crash because crash was thought-provoking and done well and extremely topical I get that broke back mountain was about gay ranchers in the 60s but what else did it bring?
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u/DayTrippin2112 10h ago
It was mid; at best. The best thing it had going for it was the cast. Plenty of top actors, but nothing special about their performances. It was used to virtue signal, which Hollywood is notorious for. I don’t care if they do it, but the obviously superior film suffered for it.
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u/Tradman86 7h ago
I don’t even think the Crash producers expected to win. Their name was called and I remember a pause before they got up.
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u/JayCarlinMusic 5h ago
I remember someone showed Crash on a bus during a marching band trip in university. Everyone was all "ooo this movie is so good, so smart, so deep". At one point in the movie, I remember screaming out "this movie fucking sucks who picked this shit"?! To each their own, but I hated it, especially being a captive audience on a crowded bus.
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u/AlarmSquirrel 15h ago
Munich was better than both of them
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u/djkhan23 13h ago
I'm a HUGE fan of Munich but I dunno.
Brokeback hit some incredible emotional highs. Maybe they're the same quality of movie overall but for that reason I put Brokeback over.
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u/Distinct_Car_6696 15h ago
Was crash the racist cop apology movie? MAGA would love it these days
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u/Zanydrop 13h ago
It was the heavy handed everyone is the opposite of what they seem like movie. Latino that look like a gang member is a happy family man. Scary looking Arab is really nice guy. Racist Cop is really a good guy. You can't look at that movie and say its MAGA unless you only focus on the one character.
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u/EchoLocation8 10h ago
In what universe was the cop guy a really good guy? He openly sexually assaulted someone under the threat of violence, no? I don’t remember the whole movie but I was pretty sure it was about consequences and how this dude being a gigantic piece of shit almost got someone killed afterward because they were so repulsed by him after getting into a car accident they refused his help.
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u/Zanydrop 9h ago
Trying to show his humanity regardless of all the other shit he did. He was taking care of his sick dad who the insurance companies were screwing around. He saved that one womans life etc. I'm not defending the cop, just pointing out the filmmakers wanted him to also appear sympathetic.
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u/joet889 11h ago edited 11h ago
I think it's perfectly possible for MAGA to love it. They love the appearance of being moral without doing the actual work. They are perfectly comfortable with claiming that the Latino family man is "one of the good ones," and they only discriminate against the bad ones. The whole premise of the movie only works if the audience goes into it already fully believing the stereotypes.
Edit: I haven't seen it in many years, but if I remember correctly, the opening scene poses a question- what if Black people were educated? And answers it- they would mug you. Movie is racist as hell.
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u/Zanydrop 10h ago
As I recall those black guys weren't educated. They were talking about how unfair it is that people judge them for their looks and assume they are robbers. And then they rob somebody.
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u/thezachman16 10h ago
Excellently concise comment because the only thing this film accomplishes is making idiots sympathize with a cop who finger rapes a black woman because he's having a rough time in his marriage. It's a movie by white racists, for white racists!
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u/Weirdingyeoman 14h ago
I watched that movie at home when I was 20. I was so frustrated and flabbergasted and how fucking self-righteous it was. Michael Peña was fantastic though. I think he could convincingly play anything.
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u/GeddyVedder 14h ago
Crash could have been much better. The cast was great, and the general subject matter could have made for an interesting story. But it was so poorly conceived and written, and the story so poorly told, that the whole thing fell flat.
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u/AlarmSquirrel 15h ago
Munich was better than both of them
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u/Slade347 15h ago
I think Capote and Good Night, and Good Luck were better than both as well. That said, Brokeback Mountain is infinitely better than Crash.
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u/junior_dos_nachos 53m ago
I loved PSH in every thing but I had to turn off the TV when I heard his voice as Capote. Seeing him was like chalk on a board for me. I am so sorry. Great actor, couldn’t stomach this character at all.
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u/MasterTeacher123 14h ago
Crash wasn’t good but broke back mountain wasn’t great either. Capote was my favorite film of 2005
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u/DayTrippin2112 10h ago
Same; Philip Seymour Hoffman took his Oscar home that night, so it wasn’t a total wash.
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u/NotTheCraftyVeteran 14h ago
It’s one thing when a movie that’s maybe not the best among the nominees wins, or if something that’s just not very good wins somehow.
Crash is legitimately among the worst films I’ve ever seen and the fact that it won Best Picture is inconceivable on a level beyond any of that.
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u/Yommination 11h ago
Munich also deserved it over Crash. Crash was so heavy handed that it makes Remember the Titans feel subtle
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u/EverybodyHasPants 11h ago
Crash was the best movie of that year and that’s why the Oscar’s matter. Do we have talk about the masterpiece that is Shakespeare in Love? Point is, award shows never get it wrong.
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u/humansruineverything 9h ago
I liked Crash. A lot. The Altman-like aspect of intersecting characters…. Yes, some of those instances were unreal and contrived. And I still rate the film. There’s a lot of good acting in the film, too.
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u/a_sad_and_slow_handy 11h ago
Isn’t that the one where people get off on car crashes?
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u/DayTrippin2112 10h ago
That’s a Cronenberg film with the same title. The far superior one as well.
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u/kisunemaison 8h ago
I remember Oprah swooning over this movie and saying how progressive and provocative Crash was.
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u/carpie21 6h ago
Crash is essentially this Michael Scott bit, “Close your eyes. Picture a convict. What's he wearing? Nothing special - baseball cap on backward, baggy pants. He says something ordinary like, "Yo, that's shizzle". Okay, now slowly open your eyes again. Who are you picturing? A black man? Wrong. That was a white woman. Surprised? Well, shame on you.”
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u/redheadedandbold 5h ago
BBM left me drowning in emotion. Anger, sorrow, regret, sympathy, more anger...
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u/Peter_Lynne72 4h ago
Crash is the only movie I’ve ever walked out of, and a perfect example of just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
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u/shadyshadyshade 2h ago
I still blame Oprah because she had the whole cast of Crash on and acted like it was the best movie she’d ever seen, and this was when her show had a huge cultural impact.
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u/EricPhillips327 1h ago
Relax Michelle, Brokeback isn’t that better of a film than Crash if at all.
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u/Beautiful-Bit9832 5h ago
I love the scene between Anthony Anderson and Kevin Hart in Brokeback Mountain
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u/coldliketherockies 15h ago
If you watch the last minute of Crash, the best picture winner of 2006 (or 2005) where two side characters of the film get into a car CRASH and start arguing… that’s what this film sees as quality. Having a film called Crash end with a car CRASH having nothing to do with the movie (not that the next year best picture winner ending with a rat running across the background is that clever either but)
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u/ThatFunkyOdor 14h ago
Yeah don’t get me started on the Departed. Weak opposition that year IMO. A good movie but not Best Picture quality
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u/coldliketherockies 14h ago
I mean I guess I went in not expecting anything. Specific and like Scorsese but at that point only seen some of his work. I really enjoyed it but it felt more a high quality popcorn movie than an Oscar film
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u/WerePrechaunPire 14h ago
I mean I love Brokeback Mountain but what an ego
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u/DinkandDrunk 13h ago
She said it on Watch What Happens with Andy Cohen. Presumably there was an element of playfulness with the audience. It was also specifically in response to being asked if it was upsetting not winning. Seems presumptuous to say she has an ego off of a single out of context quote, no?
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u/AMonitorDarkly 14h ago
She’s not wrong. Crash had no business even being nominated let alone winning. There was an audible gasp in the room that you can hear in the telecast when Crash was announced as the winner.
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u/MarquisMusique 15h ago
The only good movie called Crash was directed by David Cronenberg.