| Release Date: 20 November 2009 (USA) Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport IMDb Rating: 7.6 Director: John Lee Hancock Cast: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Leigh Anne Tuohy, Kathy Bates, Kim Dickens, Adriane Lenox, Nick Saban |
The Blind Side is a truly heartwarming film featuring what is easily Sandra Bullock’s finest performance of her career, that brings to life a true story you won’t forget. The film tells the story of Michael Oher, a NFL offensive lineman, and the family that adopted him.
I’m not a football fan, I had no clue who Michael Oher was when I originally saw this film in theatres. I was only there because of Bullock, but since sitting in that theatre over ten years ago, I have never forgotten Oher’s story or this great film.
Oher definitely did not have an easy childhood, and while the film does not shy away from this element of Oher’s life, it focuses largely on his life after he met the Tuohy family and the beginnings of his football career.
The film’s story has been met with controversy due to its portrayal of Oher only being able to overcome his struggles with the help of his adoptive white family, and even some displeasure from Oher himself about some inaccuracies about him in the film.
However, I find it hard to categorize this film as a “white saviour” film that is currently being met with controversy because Oher does consider the Tuohy’s his family, and the film’s message about perseverance is truly inspiring.
The film strikes a good balance between Michael’s personal life and his football career, the sports scenes never overstay their welcome but are given the exact time they need. The football scenes are great fun, especially the practice scene with Leigh Anne coaching from the sidelines, and this is coming from someone who can barely watch five minutes of an actual football game without being bored to death.
However, it’s the performances that make this film. Quinton Aaron stars as Michael, and he is absolutely wonderful in the role. There is an honesty to his portrayal of Michael that is not easy to capture, but Aaron does so with ease, making it look incredibly easy. Tim McGraw is good as Sean Tuohy, Jae Head always lightens up his scenes as S.J. with some great laughs, and it’s impossible not to enjoy Kathy Bates as Miss Sue.
However, it’s Sandra Bullock’s performance that makes the film as she is absolutely sensational. In her Oscar-winning performance, Bullock portrays Leigh Anne Tuohy, Michael’s adoptive mother.
Bullock brings the passionate, fast-talking, strong-willed mother to life in a truly transformative performance, so much that you sometimes forget that this is a performance. Bullock perfectly conveys the fierce love that Leigh Anne has not only for her children but also for Michael, warming your heart as you watch the film.
The scenes between Bullock and Aaron are some of the best of the entire film as the two of them have excellent on-screen chemistry and perfectly recreate the relationship between Michael and Leigh Anne for the audience’s pleasure. And when it comes to that emotional final scene with Bullock and Aaron, and despite having seen this film numerous times over the years, the emotion of Bullock’s performance always brings a tear to my eye.
Like all good films based on a true story, the film’s ending provides a “where are they now” segment, but what makes this film’s version of it so good is the use of the actual NFL draft footage for Oher’s first draft. It’s the perfect way to end the film as it completes Oher’s character arc, but it also shows the entire Tuohy family in real life in a truly heartwarming moment.
And thanks to a truly magnificent performance from Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side will always remain one of my favorite true-life sports dramas!
Tweet
While The Blind Side is about football and will entertain sports fans, at its core it’s a story about a relationship between a mother and her son.
