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Crossing Over (R, 2009)

common sense media says

Intense immigration drama doesn't live up to its intentions.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this mature drama isn't likely to be on most teens' must-see lists. In the same vein as Traffic and Crash, it attempts to capture the complex nature of immigration to America (both legal and illegal), with desperate characters doing desperate things. While the film presents a nuanced, complex look at the issue, it also contains scenes of blunt sexuality (including partial nudity) and brutal violence (intense shootouts and more). There's also lots of strong language ("f--k," racial epithets, and more), drinking, and smoking.

Positive messages: The movie is full of illegal and unethical acts (bribery, extorion, and much more), all of which have ramifications and consequences that weigh heavily on the minds of those committing them -- or result in their comeuppance.
Positive role models: Characters discuss terrorism, racism, and religious prejudice, and
families are forced to make difficult decisions. Small lies are told in
the service of the greater good. On the up side, law enforcement
officers choose to go above and beyond the call of duty in the name of
decency.
Violence: Extreme violence, including several graphic shooting deaths (two of the characters killed are a couple in bed after making love). There's also scuffling, some blood and gore, and intense shootouts. Dead bodies are seen.
Sex: Multiple sex scenes. Female nudity (chest and buttocks) and male nudity (buttocks). Discussions of adultery. An immigration official has an arrangement with an illegal immigrant: She's available to him sexually, and he gets her a Green Card. Some cleavage.
Language: Repeated strong language, including "f--k" and its variations, "Jesus," "Goddammit," "ass," "s--t," "bitch," "c--t," "piss," and more. Also racial epithets like "gook," "sand n----r," "wetback," and "raghead."
Consumerism: Brands that are visible or discussed include Budweiser, Froot Loops, Glock handguns, Photoshop, Crunch gyms, and more.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Characters smoke cigarettes and drink champagne, hard liquor, and wine. Two characters enjoy what is clearly a joint.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Crossing Over

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the movie's central issue of immigration. Why do you think this issue is a hot button in the media?
  • How do TV shows and movies typically address the issue of immigration? And why do you think so many people break the law to live in America, risking their freedom and/or their lives?
  • Do you think the immigration process is easier for Caucasian, English-speaking immigrants than it is for people of color? Why or why not? How hard -- and how necessary -- is it for immigrants to adapt their cultural values to fit within the American mainstream?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Set in L.A., CROSSING OVER follows several characters through the process of immigration: two Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers (Harrison Ford and Cliff Curtis), an immigration lawyer (Ashley Judd), a government worker (Ray Liotta), a Bangladeshi teen (Summer Bishil), an aspiring musician (Jim Sturgess), an Australian would-be actress (Alice Eve), a Mexican factory worker (Alice Braga), and a Korean-born teen (Justin Chon). As the characters' lives intersect, they make difficult choices -- such as whether to obey the law or break it in the name of the greater good and whether to stay in America by any means necessary or leave everything behind instead of suffering brutal injustice and indignity in the name of trying to stay.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Crossing Over serves as a great demonstration of how good intentions don't always mean good movie making -- and how having a broad group of characters in a film can often mean that the individual characters seem thin. Directed by Wayne Kramer -- best-known for violent diversions likeThe Cooler and Running Scared -- Crossing Over shoots for the same big, widescreen novelistic sweep as films like Traffic, Crash, and Fast Food Nation, but it lacks a certain gracefulness in its execution. For example, Bishil's teen is foolishly stupid-brave in a way that such an obviously smart kid wouldn't be -- but her foolhardiness does advance the plot toward its conclusion.

The film's plotlines intersect -- some naturally and some with a forced clumsiness -- and much of the movie's closure feels a touch too earnest. Ford is better than you'd think as an aging immigration officer who cares too much, but he's under-used and under-written. Ultimately, Crossing Over is a textbook example of what happens when a movie maker's reach exceeds his or her grasp.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Weinstein Co.
Director: Wayne Kramer
Cast: Ashley Judd, Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta
Genre: Drama
Run time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release: February 27, 2009
DVD release: June 9, 2009
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: pervasive language, some strong violence and sexuality/nudity
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This review was written by James Rocchi
 
 

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cheer chick
parent of 9 and 10 year old
17
 
i am 40 and love harrison ford and these types of movies, but i am unable to enjoy it due to the language and would be appalled if my husband wanted to stay and see the whole movie, as it is inappropriate for him as well! so i think the age rating is absolutely wrong and should be adults only. and at that they should look at what they are putting into their minds and time.
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corvettejack
parent of and 13 , 16 , 18 year old
17
 
watch this
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