Movie Review- "The Blind Side"

I've wanted to see this film for a while now. I wanted to see it since I first saw the trailer last year. And I finally got my chance.

This was a good movie. It had at least two things that really appeal to me: drama and football (or American football, for my international dear readers). I doubt that this film will be nominated for any Academy Awards, but that's OK. I don't it's necessarily trying for that. The film stands on its own.

Americans, by and large, like inspirational stories. This film is no exception. More on that in a moment. First, though, I'd like to take a second to talk about football. Football is regarded as one of the toughest sports in America, but viewed by some outside the US to be too violent. Despite this reputation for toughness, football is often used as a backdrop for inspirational (and dare I say, sensitive) stories. Examples of this are the present film in question, as well as "Rudy", and "Facing the Giants". A case could be made that this applies to any sport. And the good people making those arguments would be right. But for the purposes of this article, we'll stick with the poetry of the gridiron.

As I stated above, this is an inspirational film. And there's nothing wrong with that. To be sure, I personally like my share of heavy,depressing films. But occasionally, we all need something uplifting.

This film tells the story of Michael Oher, a guy with a horrendous childhood. He bounces around life with pretty much no direction, until he's offered a chance at success via a private school education with athletic potential. He's "de facto" adopted by a wealthy white family who takes him in, essentially out of Christian charity and the goodness of their hearts. He flowers under their generosity. Then they legally adopt him. He develops his athletic prowess, goes to college and is drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. This is all based on a true story.

I generally don't care for the film work of Sandra Bullock. I have nothing against her, but she is generally found in romantic comedies, which is my least favorite genre. However, she does a really good job. Also, Tim McGraw surprised me. He didn't look like "Tim McGraw" in this film. I got really tired of the kid, SJ.

I definitely recommend this film. It's worth a view, though, a great case could be made that waiting for the DVD release is not a bad idea. People who saw this movie before me told me it was very emotional and a "tear jerker". I found that tugged at the old heartstrings a little bit, but not to the degree that I was maybe led to believe.

Acting: B+
Directing: A-
That Guy: D
Overall: B+