Parents' Guide to Collide

This thriller does a great job of engrossing viewers in the various levels of drama inherent in each couple's storyline. That said, some of Collide's elements are a little on the nose -- for instance, the restaurant where the characters collide is literally called Collide, and an advertisement for a cologne named Rage literally explains Peter's (Gaffigan) feelings toward his wife and his life in general. And flipping between the three storylines can feel a tad chaotic at times.

Plus, if you think about the story a little too long, it starts to unravel. How does someone tape a bomb to a restaurant chair without anyone noticing? How does someone bring a pound or so of cocaine into a restaurant's freezer without rousing suspicion? But if you overlook those elements, the film does have meaningful performances, particularly by Graham, who plays a woman permanently scarred by apartheid, and Ryan Phillippe, who plays a man who benefited from apartheid's violence. Overall, Collide is a cool, if imperfect, experiment in storytelling.