With The Blind Side, we have a film that came out of nowhere and managed to make a surprising amount of money its opening weekend. Since then, it has continued to grow from week to week, despite having almost no pre-release buzz. That kind of achievement is due to the excellent word of mouth the film has received. From there, the film has exploded to become the highest-grossing film of star Sandra Bullock's career and the one that will possibly result in her first Oscar nomination. I recently had the opportunity to finally see this movie after the hype had finally started to die down and I have to say that I can see why the film has done so well. With this film, director John Lee Hancock has crafted a powerful and moving story about one family's risk that paid off huge, and he also gives us a positive look at the face of modern day Christianity.
The film revolves around Michael Oher (played convincingly by newcomer Quinton Aaron), a big African-American kid who has been the victim of abuse his entire life, neglected by everyone, including the school system. He appears to be very shy and withdrawn, which belies his huge stature, and he is far more of a gentle giant than someone to be feared. The film also concerns the Tuohy family, a very wealthy, white, Christian family who takes Oher in and raises him as their own. Country singer Tim McGraw plays the father, and film star Sandra Bullock playing against type as the tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners Leigh Anne Tuohy, who becomes the force Oher needs to turn his life around. This is a great performance by Bullock and stands as one of her best ever.
Oher eventually joins the school football team where he becomes a great left tackle. His grades are the real problem, though, as he has almost no formal schooling, so can barely read and write. To fix this, the Tuohy family hires a private tutor, played by the always-reliable Kathy Bates. Eventually, colleges all over the country recruit Oher and this is where the film injects some great humor as the recruiters keep trying to sweeten the deal so Oher will accept their offer. Eventually, Oher accepts a school's offer and as we learn over the closing credits ends up playing for the Baltimore Ravens professional football team.
The Blind Side is a very good, even excellent, film. It is buoyed by strong performances by the ensemble and some powerfully emotional moments that will cut straight to the heart of anybody who watches it. Yes, it is a sports drama, but it manages to avoid those sports movie clichés that so many of them seem unable to avoid, including Clint Eastwood's Invictus. This film is really not about the game of football, but is instead about the boy from the projects who society had all but written off as a lost cause. As I was watching the film, I saw Oher grow from a scared, almost mute boy to a confident and tough man. It's quite a transformation and Aaron is more than up to the task. I do think that the movie can at times feel more like a TV-movie than a theatrical feature and the plot comes off as highly implausible in parts. If I hadn't known this was based on a true story, I would never have believed it. Of course, truth is stranger than fiction but still. I have a hard time believing that a white, obviously rich woman wouldn't be the slightest bit afraid about opening her home to a large, black man. Maybe that is my own internal prejudice speaking but I just can't see that being the case.
Additionally, in terms of overall drama and suspense, the film is lacking much of any. Everything is resolved just a little too easily for my taste. I realize that the film is based on a true story but I think just a little bit of exaggerating of the facts would have been appropriate for this story. Still, I can't fault the filmmakers for sticking so faithfully to the facts. It is not their fault that Oher's story is inherently not that dramatic. The performances here are excellent. Bullock gives the best work she's ever given in this film and it may finally net Bullock her first Oscar nomination. While her performance is excellent, she really is not given very much to work with. The character of Leigh Anne Tuohy is very one-dimensional and is not given much room to grow or change. She is brash, loving, and very Southern the whole way through the film and so Bullock does not really get the opportunity to stretch as an actress. She still does a lot with what she is given, and she steals the film from everyone else, but I just wish that one of our finest actresses had been given a meatier role to play.
One thing that really sets this film apart from most others out there right now and the reason that I think the film has done so well is that it preaches a very good Christian message about love and acceptance of others. It makes no bones about the fact that it is a Christian movie and that explains why it has played so well in the heartland of America. The Tuohy family is completely loving and accepting of Oher in spite of his background and his looks, and that is a powerful and important message about what really matters in a person. While I won't turn this into a diatribe on Christianity or whatnot, I will say that more Christians need to act like the Tuohys. It's ironic that the majority of Christians who have been promoting this film to their friends don't practice what the movie preaches. Anyway, that is all I have to say about that.
If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing tearjerker this holiday season, you could certainly do a lot worse than The Blind Side. It may seem a bit implausible at times but engaging performances and a powerful, heartfelt message more than make up for the flaws inherent in the true story. It veers from being just another sports drama and turns into something much more original and heartfelt. Grade: A-
