Sankari_Suomi
In recent months I have watched few movies which have infuriated me more than this one.Starts well but quickly descends into farce as a bunch of ethnic stereotypes lurch from one predictable crisis to another in a series of tangled story arcs.Harrison Ford (starting in a role better suited to Ben Affleck, who withdrew from the production citing 'stomach trouble') does his best with what he's given, but to no avail.I found myself despising most of the people I was supposed to empathise with because they had either gratuitously broken the law and/or were simply objectionable.Why should I feel sorry for the Bengali family who entered America illegally not because they were refugees (they weren't) but simply because they couldn't be bothered to go through the proper channels? They're just irritating ******. Sod 'em! How can I empathise with the Australian wannabe actress who cuts an illegal deal with an immigration officer, exchanging back door access for... er... back door access?This could have been an excellent drama about the complex issues facing legal and illegal immigrants, but the scriptwriters were either too scared or too lazy to do the job properly.It's an intensely frustrating movie because you can see what it could have been, but it never actually gets there.'Crossing Over' currently sits at 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, where it has been justifiably savaged as 'Tired, preachy and about as thought-provoking as a Blackpool hen party howling We Are The World on karaoke.'Give this lemon a wide berth and watch 'Crash' (2005) instead.I rate 'Crossing Over' at 13.32 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a solid 4/10 on IMDb.
dougmcnair
Never before have I liked a movie so much that the critics have panned so consistently. A very world-weary Harrison Ford leads a talented ensemble cast exploring the experiences of undocumented immigrants in the USA and the immigration officers who deal with them. The focus here is not on the immigrants' flying under the radar (as with so many movies of this genre) but on their achieving naturalization, and what the various characters go through in pursuit of that goal is by turns tragic, brutal, provocative, and funny. One or two of the immigrant stories are clichéd, but each character is complex and fully developed. Also, immigrants from all over the world AND the immigration officers get equal screen time, and I found that both interesting and refreshing. The performances are all excellent and the writing and plotting are skillful and powerful, so I found a lot to like and not much to dislike. Eight stars.
kenjha
A motley group of immigrants tries to get green cards in Los Angeles. This variation on "Crash" is letdown by a melodramatic and contrived script, courtesy of director Kramer. It's meant to be poignant and dramatic in conveying the plight of the immigrant, but it amounts to little more than clichés. The characters are one-dimensional stereotypes: the defiant Muslim, the babe willing to sleep her way to a green card, the Korean kid tempted by gangs, the sleazy immigration official. None of the characters seeking legal status is portrayed as likable or sympathetic. Ford and Judd are unbelievably saintly as bleeding heart liberals. Despite all its shortcomings, however, the film does manage to be entertaining.
Desertman84
Crossing Over is an independent film about illegal immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles.It deals with the border, document fraud, the asylum and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter-terrorism and the clash of cultures. The ensemble cast includes Harrison Ford and Ashley Judd together with Ray Liotta,Jim Sturgess,Cliff Curtis,Alice Braga and Alice Eve.It was written and directed by Wayne Kramer.Every day, a new batch of immigrants comes flooding into Los Angeles in search of the American dream and every day the price of that dream rises exponentially. As the desperation of these newcomers continually tests the humanity of Los Angeles immigration enforcement officers, the face of a 21st century L.A. gradually begins to take form.The story takes harrowing look at life among illegal immigrants and the immigration enforcement agents whose job it is to ensure that the U.S. borders remain secure. Anyone who has seen the movie,Crash will likely appreciate this film that is a multi-stranded and a heavy handed film that explores the issues surrounding immigration and US citizenship with the involvement of many characters.Unfortunately unlike the said film,Crossing Over lacks subtlety since many of the events seemed contrived and superficial.But nevertheless,we are treated with great performances particularly that of Harrison Ford.Also,it remains a thought-provoking film.
AD
