Grand Canyon revolved around six residents from different backgrounds whose lives intertwine in modern-day Los Angeles. At the center of the film is the unlikely friendship of two men from different races and classes brought together when one finds himself in jeopardy in the other's rough neighborhood.
Maybe this film was heralded when it came out, but looking back on it now, it seems to me to be a poor man's Robert Altman. The intertwined lives are nice, but ultimately rather shallow. The race factor is stereotypical. Sure, they do make the point of having the lead be ignorant by hooking up the only two black people he knows. But is the script itself much better? Some have compared this film to "Crash", which sort of goes the other way and has the race factor be over the top. Why can we not just have a film about race without having to make race a factor? If that ever happens we will finally be moving in the right direction.
Maybe this film was heralded when it came out, but looking back on it now, it seems to me to be a poor man's Robert Altman. The intertwined lives are nice, but ultimately rather shallow. The race factor is stereotypical. Sure, they do make the point of having the lead be ignorant by hooking up the only two black people he knows. But is the script itself much better? Some have compared this film to "Crash", which sort of goes the other way and has the race factor be over the top. Why can we not just have a film about race without having to make race a factor? If that ever happens we will finally be moving in the right direction.