What Everyone Says About It: "It's the film that robbed Brokeback Mountain of a Best Picture Academy Award, so it automatically must be terrible, right? The ensemble cast waltzes their way through an insipid, Oscar-baiting race drama which tells audiences what people the world over already know: we're all a little bit racist sometimes!" Why It Isn't Terrible: It's easy to take the oppositional stance when the movie you were rooting for to win Best Picture doesn't scoop the award, but that doesn't make the hate for Paul Haggis' film justified in the slightest. While not exactly sending home any truths that most people aren't aware of, the performances are sublime across the board, and the interconnected tableau is thoroughly engaging. It's easy to be cynical about the film's earnest message, but had it not been for the film's Oscar win, the hate for this one would be decidedly less prominent. If not a Best Picture winner for the ages, it's still a riveting, well-constructed drama.