The baleful influence of Paul Haggis's multi-narrative Oscar-winner Crash (2004) continues with Matthew Leutwyler's trite contraption. Unsurprisingly, there is a crash involved: alcoholic Drew (Miranda Bailey) recalls the accident that paralyzed her marathoner brother (Vincent Ventresca, who has the good luck to be unconscious through most of the movie) at the most absurdly manipulative moment. Also, the dubious cop (Erik Palladino) makes the scene; he and schoolteacher Carter (Mark Kelly) are the only sympathetic characters. Less charming: a black TV writer (Kali Hawk) who hates black people; her therapist Ryan (Dane Cook) is married to the lawyer helping Drew get custody of her sibling, while Ryan is having an affair with another patient, a singer. And so on. As someone says near the end, "Kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths." Change "kindness" to "contrivance" and you can write your own screenplay.
