Sometime you like a movie just because it makes you feel good and it has a positive message. “The Blind Side” is such a movie. This is the true story of Michael Oher and the woman whose fierce love and determination to help him allows him to reach his potential. Director John Lee Hancock finds just the right tone, walking a fine line between manipulation and true emotion and mixing drama with bursts of comedy. Although there’s been some criticism about “The Blind Side” being ‘a paternalistic portrait of a deprived black youth being nurtured by a wealthy white lady,’ Hancock isn’t bothered. ‘From my standpoint I will only say that on that freezing night in Memphis, Leigh Anne didn’t stop the car and put Michael in the back seat because he was black. She did it because he was cold.’ (LA Times, Nov. 24, 2009, section D) Even though the central character is Michael, this is Bullock’s movie all the way. She portrays Leigh Anne perfectly and is the main reason to see this film. She makes us believe that Leigh Anne is a real person with her feistiness and steely compassion. Newcomer Quinton Aaron successfully conveys Michael as a gentle giant. While he rarely says more than a few words, he manages to convey his feelings through his facial expressions.
Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) was selected in the first round of the 2009 draft by the Baltimore Ravens. How he got there is the heart of this movie. With the help of a friend’s father and the school’s football coach, Michael is accepted to a private religious school. However, his grades are so poor that he’s not eligible to play. He has no home because the state took him away from his crack-addicted mother when he was young. He is wandering the streets, lost and alone, when Leigh Anne Touhy (Bullock) spots him. She and her husband Sean (Tim McGraw) recognize him since their son, S.J. (Jae Head) and daughter, Collins (Lily Collins) go to the same school. Leigh Anne’s invitation for Michael to spend the night turns into many as he becomes a part of the Touhy family. And with the help of supportive teachers, Michael’s grades improve and he is able to demonstrate his talent on the football field. Yes, “The Blind Side” is predictable, but it’s also a heartfelt story definitely worth seeing. 11/20/09
Note: Oher, now 23, signed a five-year contract with the Ravens worth about $13.8 million after helping Ole Miss reach the Cotton Bowl last season.
3 comments:
I loved this movie......I know that some critics have panned it and I know some movie "snobs" don't particularly like it but I loved it! This is the best, most entertaining film I've seen this year, and I hope it wins all kinds of awards!!
Comment #2 "The Blind Side" has just gone over $100M in domestic ticket sales. I hate to tell the IDIOT critics I told you so BUT...............
"Blind side" is now over $220 Million all you dembell critics!
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