drh-8

The IMDb guide says that this movie is a comedy. Doesn't that mean that I was supposed to laugh at it? Maybe it's something to do with American humour (or should that be humor?) but there wasn't one single point during this total waste of 98 minutes of my valuable life that I even so much as smiled! What are the chances of two people meeting, falling in love (or was it merely lust?), getting married and finding that they each have a son in his forties who has the mental age of a first-grader? I wondered if the two sons (Farrell and Reilley) had actually been first-graders, whether the story might have been more believable and, dare one hope, funnier. I decided it wouldn't! Those two "men" (sorry guys, I realise that's a bit of an insult to the adult male gender) ought to have been in institutions and, maybe, the whole movie changed its genre to one where the parents worked together to make the world a better place for such unfortunate people.

Then there was the gratuitous profanity from just about every character for the entire duration. I am lost for words to attempt to comment on that - other than to say it served absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever! In my movie collection, I have a copy of the original silent version of "Nosferatu" and "Santa With Muscles" (another fairly pathetic waste of time - mine and the film-makers), but THIS has to take the prize for being the worst movie I have EVER seen. I can only assume that there are people out there who obviously have some sort of empathy with the characters of Step Brothers and who saw something in this travesty to make them laugh. They have my abject sympathy!

I wish I had spent the 98 minutes watching my front lawn grow! It would have been a LOT more fun! Why doesn't IMDb have an option to award a movie zero because it certainly isn't worth 1?

Suggestion: Add an extra text screen at the beginning of "Step Brothers" stating clearly that anyone with an IQ higher than 40 should not watch it!

For years I have adored Sandra Bullock. For me, she pales all those screen sirens through the ages into insignificance and "The Blind Side" expresses her unequaled talent and natural beauty superbly! As an Aussie, I know nothing at all about American Football (and, from what I have seen on movies and TV, I don't particularly want to!). That's not to knock it though - I just don't understand it and, since it is pretty well exclusive to the USA, I have no real need to. However, that's not the point of this review. In actual fact, the game doesn't matter. The point is that the Tuohy family - and Leigh-Anne (Bullock) in particular see the potential and the need in a young man who couldn't be much more different from their own lifestyle and they give helping him their everything (and MORE).

Bearing in mind that "The Blind Side" is based on a true story, all I can say is that I would have loved to have known the Tuohy family. What awesome Christians from Dad to the young son. Actually, all the time I watched this film, I couldn't help seeing a family that attends my own church here in Queensland. The total absence of any sort of jealousy and the genuine love that emanated from every member of that family was just SO like my friends. (Actually, my friends here would make great subjects for a similar biographical drama - but I know their modesty would never let that happen! Pity really!)

When the pictures came on with the credits at the end I was amazed at how well all five actors portrayed the real Tuohys and Michael. (Didn't Sandra look gorgeous as a blonde too! - I'm not biased!!) So this is the second time in as many weeks that I have sat through a movie centred around American Football and loved every minute of them (the other one was "The Grid Iron Gang"). I don't mind admitting that I had to wipe the occasional tear from my eye during this one too. How refreshingly pleasant to watch a movie where the predominance is on decent, loving and caring people rather than an over-abundance of violence, profanity and unpleasantness - especially when it's a true story. If I could, I'd give this 11 out of 10 and, if it doesn't win some major awards, the judges are all dormant!