The Blind Side

I have just returned from seeing the blind side. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie, particularly it's more poignant moments. Yes, this is a sports story, yes this is a biopic, but it is also in large part an interpersonal drama. It is rare to see a movie these days that relies on drama to carry it-not special effects, lush historically accurate wardrobe, or astounding make up- just a story that resonates with the viewer. That this story is based on contemporary facts makes it all the more resonant. Events that might have been handled superficially, predictably or exploited for dramatic purposes were instead presented in a nuanced and profound manner. Michael's biological mother was portrayed with dignity and compassion. In short, the aspects of Michael's story that make it moving and inspiring were captured with skill and integrity. As for the negative feedback regarding this movie that began when the only the trailers were available - I think the comments might be more a reflection of the world view of the authors rather than a reflection of the quality of the movie or the reality of Michael's story. Some people think the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" was a story about racism in the south, or that "The Crying Game" was a movie about the IRA - to me those were the settings for the drama, and not the drama itself. John Lee Hancock really bit off a lot when he took on this project-but as it turned out, it was not more than he could chew. Remember when Attorney General Eric Holder commented on how we were a nation of cowards when it came to openly discussing race? With this movie, Hancock has demonstrated he is not one of those cowards. He did not ignore the racial or class differences of the characters in this movie, and he avoided using the movie to make a social statement with the movie. He allowed these character attributes to be what they were in reality, and told the human drama in an effective and sensitive manner.

I just saw The Blind Side last night. As I have read even if you are not a football fan you'll like this movie. I am not a football fan (baseball is my sport) but I loved it!!! So many great performances by the actors. A charming story with laughs and tears. How nice to have a positive movie this time of the year especially. Everybody MUST see this movie. Quinton Aaron does a fantastic job of playing Michael Oher. In the early scenes he has no dialog, but expresses so much just with is eyes and facial expressions. Jae Head is charming as the young "brother" S.J. Camped up I am sure, but I go to the movies to entertained which the movie does in spades! Sandra Bullock as I have never seen her before, does a wonderful job, so different that the other roles she has had in the past. And Ray McKinnon as the coach has some expressions that John Lee Hancock should be awarded for his direction.

I must confess I was weeping 5 minutes into the movie and that's unusual for me. I had read the book and in the book nothing is that black or that white for that matter, but this is as movie and as a movie it works. I was expecting commercial interruptions every few minutes, the film felt so much like a TV movie. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Michael Oher story had to be told even with the poetic licenses that the film takes, shamelessly. Sandra Bullock plays herself beautifully as always and her character with all her saintly stern, southern modern American woman could not move away too far from "Miss Congeniality". But it works and at the end of the day, after paying the prices one pays at the box office, it's almost enough. Why they had to ruin it with an Oscar nomination? The nomination makes you look for something in her performance that clearly isn't there. If you go to a Sandra Bullock movie, the quality of the movie may vary but she is always terrific, playing that Sandra Bullock character. Good for her.

The movie Blind Side is a non-fiction story about the life of Michael Oher and his struggles to overcome life's obstacles such as social problems, the struggle for human dignity, human relationships and coming of age. The plot of the film is that a teenager Michael Oher (played by Qinton Aaron) has been surviving on the streets with little closing and no place to live. He is spotted by Leigh Anne Touhy (played by Sandra Bullock) and as she questions her children she learns that Michael, commonly called Big Mike by other kids, is a classmate of her kids at Wingate School a school predominately for those with social status. On that first meeting she insists that Michael, who is scantily dressed for the winter, get into the car and takes him home for the night. Once there she is a little scared that he will do something, but in the morning finds all the covers neatly folded on the end of the couch and Michael gone. This first moment of kindness on Leigh Anne's part, and the unfamiliar behavior expected by Michael, to later draw the family to make Michael a member of the Touhy family.

Although there are extreme differences in background, Michael accepts to live with the Touhy's an in turn undergoes a entirely new set of challenges. Some of those challenges include, fitting into the school, trying to pass classes to be able to play football, and making friends. SJ Touhy (played by Jae Head) becomes Michael's closest friend and helps him to overcome many of the social obstacles. At one point Sean Touhy (played by Tim McGray) mentions that Michael is "basically a fly in a bowl of milk at Wingate". As the story goes on Michael eventually begins to change the lives of the Touhy's as they make discoveries into their own lives and how they have grown accustom to having money and overlooked those who don't. An example of this is when Michael questions what happens to all the uneaten food at the restaurants the Touhy's own. Leigh Anne even stands up to her lifelong friends as they question her intention with having Michael around all the time and admits that Michael is changing her life.

This film gives you the sense of caring and makes one take a look at their own life and how one might overcome adversity to become something much greater in life. The background in which you come from does not make the person. It is how the person treats the world that makes a difference. Yes Michael becomes a football player (high school, college & later NFL), but at one point they had to ask him if he even wanted to play football. It's a great real life success story, but one has to look past the achievements of Michael Oher at the real meaning of what the Touhy family did. It a movie about the best in humanity and how, if those who are blessed with financial and spiritual resources reach out and share those blessings, they can change the course of someone's life for the good.

I've been reading lot of horrible comments that are based solely on the issues surrounding the movie rather than the movie itself. I wasn't excited to see this movie, I'm not interested in sports at all. The movie kept my attention though and well. It moved along quickly and pulled me into the story and left me feeling inspired. I wasn't excited to see a blonde sandy bullock in a sports movie, I think that's what might have turned me off the most, but she did really good job! It's rare to see a movie where there's a really strong lead female character. Whether you like Leigh Anne Touhy or not in the end, she is certainly entertaining and Sandra Bullock does a great job of bringing her onto the screen. The youngest son did an amazing job! So much talent in him. The character of Mike I think could have used a few more lines, even if he's supposed to be shy and reserved. All the actors really did a great job though for the most part. No it's not an epic Oscar winning film, although I wouldn't be surprised if Bullock got nominated for something for her acting. It is NOT loaded with propaganda as the other reviews might suggest. It's a light entertaining pick me up film that would be an excellent choice to bring the family to, most likely the reason why they released it over the Holidays.