The Blind Side

RATING 7.5/10

BOTTOM LINE: Carried by a strong performance by Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side” proves to be a very watchable, and not-overtly Hollywood take on a rags-to-riches story based on a man with no prospects who succeeds at becoming one of the best college football prospects ever thanks to some unexpected help.

THE GOOD: The rags-to-riches tale has been done over and over again, but where “The Blind Side” earns extra points is its low key approach. This film is not filled with rousing music, sentimental anecdotes, manipulative emotional sequences or the obligatory happy Hollywood ending. Director John Lee Hancock takes a subdued approached that evokes a documentary quality, but with the technical precision of a feature film. Sandra Bullock is spot on as a successful business woman Leigh Anne Tuohy, who takes in to her home Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a black teenager who has been dealt a very unfortunate hand in life. Because of his race and prospects, nobody wants to do anything for him, but with Tuohy’s help, and a teacher or two at his high school, Oher comes out of his shell and becomes a huge success. Bullock is surprisingly good in this film, balancing the hard-nose business and empathetic qualities with great skill. Quinton Aaron is a big bear of a man, but delivers a gentle performance where you cannot help but feel for him. The film does not make blatant attempts to elicit sympathy or sentimentality, instead presenting events in an “as-they-occur” method, which allows the film to avoid the traps of being overtly manipulative, as most Hollywood films like this tend to be. “The Blind Side” is a very watchable tale of triumph over adversity.

THE BAD: The film feels somewhat drawn out. It may be the problem that this type of story can be predictable, but the film could have been twenty minutes shorter and still gotten the job done. The film also tends to have a TV-quality look to it; some times this adds to the “realness” of the proceedings, but at other times, it significantly detracts. These points aside, the film is a remarkable achievement given its low budget, and puts many Hollywood films with budgets ten times the size to shame.

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Leanne Tuohy is an on the go mom. Back and forth from her job to her family, she couldn’t be busier.
Little did she know how big a purpose she and her family has. That is,  until that cold night driving back from her son’s school play when she meets the teenaged, homeless Micheal Oher looking for a place warm to sleep. Feeling pity for him,  she offers to let him stay on the couch for one night. “It is just one night right?” Her husband inquires.
But she slowly grows attached to the kid, she relizes that he needs a home and a family more then anything in this world. And that she can give that to him.
The Blind Side is based on an inspiring true story and carries love through the screen. Watching these people grow, laugh and cry is so enjoyable that I wouldn’t mind going again, just to re-live it. The cast is perfect, and the  story is very satisfying as it roller coasters through to a great climax and reunion.
This film is guaranteed to make you smile!
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<h2>Parental Guide:</h2>
Rated: PG-13
Violence: main characters are seen in a car accident, but they are only slightly injured (bloody lip, and scraped bloody arm) Blood spots are seen on a shirt. Micheal violently attacks an armed person and his buddies who threatened his friends. Furniture is broken as the fighting continues, a baby is crying on the floor, and women scream. This is a very intense scene. Foot ball scenes obviously include tackling.
Sexual Content: Leanne and her husband kiss passionately in bed. Leanne mentions in this seen that she is a “multi-tasker”; but both are clothed. Several of Leanne’s outfits are very cleavage revealing. She also says to Micheal “If you get a girl pregnant I’ll come and cut off your p-nis” Gangsters joke about messing around with Leanne and her daughter. It is suggested that Micheal was born out of wedlock.
Language and profanity: Conversations between football players and gangsters get a bit colorful. Words like a–, hell, d–n, b–ch, and t-t  come up a few times. The racial slur n-gger is used once. Butt is also said.
Drugs and Alcohol: It is known that Micheal’s mother is addicted to various drugs. A character drinks wine on Thanksgiving. Wine bottles are shown in an apartment as a sign that the person drinks. Micheal and his friends are seen drinking large bottles of an alcoholic beverage.

Hannah E.

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron
Drama, 2009 (Rated PG-13)
A young boy who has just begun attending an upscale private school and has no place to stay is taken in by a wealthy family. Leigh Ann Tuohy (Bullock) just happens to see him walking in the cold one night and one night at their home turns into many many more. Mike is a good kid who just needs someone to give him a chance to succeed and succeed he does. Once he gets his academics under control he is able to play sports and takes it further then he ever imagined possible.

• This is a feel good movie from start to finish. I kept waiting for some horrible drama or indiscretion to arise and spoil this amazing story but it just never happenened-and I'm glad.
• It is a story of an underdog with no where to go and a woman with a huge heart who sees beyond what everyone else does and for totally unselfish reasons just wants to help.
• I love the Tuohy family and I love Leigh Ann Tuohy. She is that amazing, beautiful, kind yet tough mom. She will stand up to anyone just as quick as she will comfort them if the moment requires it.
• She is well to do and lives a comfortable lifestyle but that has not changed her heart in any way. She really does just want to do good. And she does.
• Aaron did a great job portraying this kind hearted gentle giant with very little words.
• It's the kind of movie that makes you feel like anything is possible if even for just a few hours. How could you not like this movie?

Just Me

Ruben of the Floating Red Couch<br />
http://www.floatingredcouch.com

Last updated: 2010-04-13 10:19:01 by user01

When Sandra Bullock blind-sided viewers everywhere by winning the Best Actress Oscar this year (the same year, remember, that she won a Razzie for All About Steve), it felt like a just reward for one of Hollywood's most loved characters. Bullock may not have the gravitas of Helen Mirren, or the versatility of Meryl Streep, but there's no doubting that she's put in the hard yards for that statue over the years.

As for the movie itself, it seems unlikely that The Blind Side would have featured on Oscar's radar at all in the good ol' days of five Best Film nominations. It's undoubtedly a fun, feelgood masterpiece: but in attempting to weld together the triumph-over-adversity tale (see Precious for another recent example of this Oprah-friendly genre) and the traditional sports drama it can't help coming up a little short.

The Blind Side is truly a movie of two halves - and together they fail to make a complete game.

The one shining light is Bullock's performance as abrasive real-life do-gooder Leigh Anne Tuohy, as she stomps and struts her way through every obstacle in her path like a particularly well-manicured rampaging bull. Tuohy isn't the kind of woman who'll take no for an answer, and most of the time she won't wait for any answer at all.

When homeless 17-year old Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron, previously seen in Be Kind Rewind and Fighting) befriends Leigh Anne's son S.J., she quickly takes him under her substantial wing, providing him with some love, security, and a roof over his head. Oher slowly overcomes his impoverished background, and effectively becomes the newest member of the Tuohy household.

Is there a slight undertone of racism to this charity, despite the Tuohys' best intentions? Well, maybe: almost all the African Americans on the screen are drug addicts or gangsters, while the clean white folks lord it over them in their sprawling mansions. Given the roots of the story in reality, however, it's hard to argue with the facts - these social divisions do still exist in Memphis, and the movie's only fault is its slight inbalance in putting them up on the screen.

Those of you who enjoyed this first half of The Blind Side will then be surprised - and probably a little disappointed - as it slips a gear and attempts to turn itself into a classic sports drama. Oher's doubts and personal development fall by the wayside as we're shown training sessions, moments of coaching inspiration, a handful of games, and even a parade of real life football stars, in what must surely be the most jarring cameo sequence of the year.

If the first half was Precious-lite, then the second half is The Express-by-numbers. And neither comes close to touching the films they emulate.

Still, Bullock is engagingly bullish as Leigh Anne Tuohy, and Kathy Bates and country singer Tim McGraw provide some nicely balanced support. When you look at the other contenders on Oscar's list this year, however, The Blind Side stands out as a slice of middle-of-the-road feelgood entertainment among the true cinematic heavyweights. There's nothing wrong with being entertained - just don't expect it to shine.

Julian Stark (pen name)<br />
<br />
Founder/Editor: Movies and Other Things<br />
<br />
http://julianstark-moviesandotherthings.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-04-09 10:17:12 by user07

Ruben of the Floating Red Couch<br />
http://www.floatingredcouch.com

Review:  I heard all the good reviews and everything else but I still wasn't buying that this movie was as good as everyone was saying.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was just as good as people were saying it was.

The movie centers around Michael Oher, who is a behemoth of a man but you wouldn't be able to tell by his personality.  Oher is a very quiet man who comes from a very broken home/background.  Oher comes from a very bad part of Memphis with a drug addicted mother who is never around and can't even remember the name of Michael's real father.

Through the help of a family friend and a football coach who believes in Christian kindness (although might have ulterior motives), Oher gets into a very elite private school in the Memphis suburbs.  It is at this school people take a notice to Michael ("Big Mike" as they call him, which he doesn't like).  It is also here were he meets the Tuohy children.  One night, when driving home from the school play, the Tuohy's spot Oher walking along the side of the road in the rain and cold and invite him back to their house so he has a warm place to sleep for the night. 

This starts the relationship between the Tuohy's and Michael Oher.  We are mostly familiar with the story, the Tuohy's end up adopting Michael, helping him learn to play football and he eventually gets a scholarship to college and getting drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.  However, football is not the main focus of this story.  The main focus is how this family endears itself to Michael and takes him in despite all the obstacles in the way.

Michael is African-American and comes from a very bad part of Memphis.  When the Tuohy's accept Michael into their home it creates quite a stir.  Having such an imposing looking person of a different race in the suburbs in the south can create some issues.  Jokes and comments are thrown around by the locals but the Tuohy's just shrug them all off.  The Tuohy's know they are doing the right thing by helping Michael in his life and everyone else will have to accept it. 

The performances are what really separates this movie.  The actor that plays Oher, Quinton Aaron, does a great job of showing the transformation of someone who is shy and introverted to somebody who is comfortable with himself and his place in life.  This is all fostered by the love from the family, which is spearheaded by the ball-busting Leann Tuohy as played brilliantly by Sandra Bullock.  I didn't really thing her performance could have been Oscar worthy like everyone said, but I was mistaken.  It definitely was. 

Bullock's performance would've bordered on caricature had I not seen how the real life Leann Tuohy was.  Bullock nailed the spirit of this take charge southern woman perfectly.  She was able to toe the line between overbearing wife and true Christian who believes in what she is doing.  This was what made her performance great.  Now, the last third of the movie revolved around Oher's recruiting and the issues that arose.  The Tuohy's were all Ole Miss grads and wanted their "son" to go play football for their alma mater.  However, living in Tennessee they competed with the behemoth that is the Volunteer football program and the excellent recruiter Phillip Fulmer. 

Oher eventually chooses Ole Miss and an NCAA investigation ensues.  The NCAA doesn't want this to start a trend where wealthy alumni adopt good athletes to get them to go to their schools.  This leads to a couple powerful scenes that I won't give away here, but definitely show the true heart of the movie. 

This movie was very well done and definitely in the "tear-jerker" mode, but didn't let itself slip to cheesy.  Everything remained true, real, and genuine which only served the movie better.  Definitely worth your time.

Last updated: 2010-03-11 19:47:11 by user06

Now  this is a UK exclusive, as this film strictly isn't released here for  another couple of weeks, but thanks to a special one-off charity  screening I just happened to be in the right place at the right time  for, here it is. For Americans reading, a sarcastic big whoop is surely  in order, since you guys saw this film eons ago, but for UK readers I  must look pretty badass right now. Well as badass as a film blogger can  be. Who just told you that is feat of badassery was something he  entirely stumbled into, with truly no skill of his own. Oh dear.

The  Blind Side, which rode the Christian advocate wave all the way to  multiple Oscar nominations, is a likable film I guess, but hardly  mind-blowing. It follows a wholesome nigh on saintly Christian  Republican family who adopt a an impoverished black kid, known only from  a distance as Big Mike, and nurture his talent for American Football.  Its not hard to see why this film did so well, it caters to an audience  Hollywood largely ignores, Republicans, and portrays them as well as  anyone could wish to be portrayed. This family is so ridiculously warm  and close-nit, at times it feels a little silly. Bullock is good I guess  as the ball busting yet sensitive matriarch, but its a showy role with  nothing really going on underneath. The 'give this bitch on oscar'  scenes come thick and fast but Bullock plays the character in a way that  you can certainly catch her acting. The film tells its uplifting story  with little complexity and approaches both its comedy and drama with the  same well-meaning but way too simplistic attitude. Quinton Aaron gets  little to do but react to Bullock and co. and the film skews its focus  from him and in particular from his less then hallmarky upbringing which  to be honest the film keeps at too much of a distance.

You can't  tell a triumph of the human spirit movie by keeping what needs to be  overcome off-screen. Or you can, but as a consequence it is less useful  as a film and more useful as a flat sugar-fix for the self-esteem. It'll  make you feel better, but not for too long.

Rating: 6/10

There IS no spoon!

Last updated: 2010-03-13 08:23:20 by McDozer

Wilson Ng - http://wilsoniscurious.blogspot.com/

Last updated: 2010-03-14 05:07:17 by wilsoniscurious

Rating: 2.5/5

This is actually not an easy film to review, and I don’t want to go off on a rant about it. So I am going to make this as straight forward as possible. The Blind Side is about a poor man called Michael, his mother is a drug addict, never knew his father, and he goes from place to place. That is until a man he has been staying with gets him enrolled in a Christian school along with his son. Michael has no idea what to do in class, and suddenly he has no where to stay so he sleeps in the gym. He gets the attention of the Tuohy family who take him in for the night, but soon enough Michael starts to live with them. With their help and the help of a teacher at school Michael comes out of his shell, he starts to learn and finds himself belonging. Once that happens, Michael gets put on the football team, with his size it seems he would make a great player, of course this comes with its ups and downs.

The Blind Side sets out to be a feel good film, a boy coming out of nothing to be something. It wants to be an inspiration, and it wants you to feel. But it really did not work for me at all like that. These types of films have been done many times over and they have been done a lot better too. This film starts off with Michael living with this man and his son, and then suddenly you don’t see them again after he’s enrolled in school. That made no sense, and then he quickly gets taken in by the family, there was no questions really asked. It all just seemed to be too sweet and I could not actually buy it at all. This is based on a true story and you are supposed to believe this really happened but I did not buy it. There are scenes where Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) goes into the poor neighbour that Michael is from, to look for him. Now she is this rich looking woman, in a neighbourhood where she does not belong, and she walks out without a scratch and mouthing off to these tough guys. I have no idea if that actually happened but I did not buy it, and that really hurts the film. The dialogue in this film was cringe worthy at times, awfully cheesy and there were parts where I could see even Sandra was not convinced by it. The real story here is a good one though, I recently watched a special on the real people on 20/20 and the real story was more compelling, inspiring and there was such a struggle there which was moving. The film had none of that, with this story I wanted to see the struggle they went through but it had none. The only little struggle is no minor, and it does not really amount to much at all. Michael has a touching relationship with his adopted sister Collins but they barely touched on that in the film, and seeing the real relationship between them made me wonder even more why they did not flesh it out.

Acting wise, a lot has been said about Sandra Bullock, she has won awards. Sandra Bullock in my opinion has always been a decent actress with the right roles. I thought she was quite good in 28 Days, which was something different for her. She is good in this film and she has a great likeness to the real Leigh Anne, they made her look a lot like her and she has the accent and voice down. She is extremely likeable for the most part, and she has some really good scenes, one I really enjoyed was when she shows up the coach because she knows how to get through to Michael. But other scenes were so badly written and cheesy, I felt she struggled, as I said I could see she was not convinced. This is easily one of her best roles, but I don’t think it was one of the best for 2009 and I am sorry to say it is rather over rated. The real surprise here though was Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy, I was expecting him to be terrible but he was actually really good and made for quite a likeable character. He really did the real Sean justice and I was really impressed, I actually hope he keeps on acting. Quinton Aaron as Michael was good for the most part, I felt he struggled with the role at times but you could really see he tried. I liked Kim Dickens as Mrs. Boswell it was a small role but she was nice and you like her. Ray McKinnon as Coach Cotton was cliched and he both worked and didn’t work, he was alright. Kathy Bates was Kathy Bates and even though her roll was small she was great.

Unfortunately this film is average, and with a great story to be told they really dropped the ball. It could have been so much better then it turned out, the script was not very good. The direction John Lee Hancock who has done true sports film before with The Rookie (Which is a lot better then this in every way) tried, but I don’t think this turned out as good as it should have been. I can see why people liked this, it caters to a certain audience, but it tries to pull those strings and it did not work for me. I got so much more out of the 20/20 special with the real people. The pacing of this film is also something which didn’t work, it moves at a snails pace for no real reason at all, there could have been 30mins cut out easily. It gets a bit draggy towards the second half, and I almost found myself falling asleep at times and that is not a good thing. I can’t really recommend this when there are better films of this type out there, The Rookie and Remember The Titans to name a couple.


(Written on March 4 2010, first published on SuperMarcey.com)

Last updated: 2010-03-04 14:00:32 by SuperMarcey

so i’ve been a bit behind in my movies so i watched a few this week.  three that are in theaters now and one on dvd.  and out of all of them, the missing was the best.  the missing is circa 2003 starring tommy lee jones and cate blanchett and directed by ron howard.  i bought it for 2 bucks at half price books.

the missing is a western and i’m a fan of westerns but it still is better than any of the above mentioned films.  it’s just a better story with more compelling characters.  tommy lee jones is cate blanchett’s estranged half indian father who left her and her mother when she was just a child.  and now, ever how many years later he just shows up.  cate’s daughter just happens to get snagged by some crazy indian witch doctor who sells white girls in mexico.

and as you probably already know, it takes and indian to catch an indian.  so tommy lee takes cate and her younger daughter after the crazed indian captors.  a good, old fashioned chasing some indians western.  i loved it.

i finally got around to seeing the blind side and have to say i wasn’t impressed at all.  i guess i can understand it’s popularity.  this is a very easy film to watch.  there’s no shocking violence, no bad language but there’s also no conflict.  it’s the most vanilla movie i think i’ve ever seen.  the actors are all very good.  especially tim mcgraw.  i would not have known it was tim mcgraw if i didn’t already know it was tim mcgraw.  he was very believable.  of course opposite sandra bullock i’m sure his job was pretty easy.  and sandra was as good as ever.  quinton aaron did a good job as michael oher.  and it is a nice, feel good story.   poor homeless black kid is adopted by an affluent white family and goes on to star in the nfl.  feel good story of the year i suppose.  and that’s why it’s so popular.  non offensive, feel good movie for all ages.  that’s all fine and good, just not necessarily my cup of tea.  if in fact i drank tea.

the next two films are more recent releases and both deal with post apocolyptic themes.  the road, adapted from a cormac mccarthy novel follows the man and the boy on a journey down a treacherous road searching for safety and security in a world torn apart by famine and cannibalism.  yes, cannibalism.  the blast comes and wipes out everything.  blots out the sun almost so nothing will grow.  and once all the food is gone, the people turn on themselves.  there are basically two groups of people we encounter in this film.  those with guns that hunt down people without guns.  and these people with guns eat the people without guns.

very drab, dreary and depressing.  thanks cormac mccarthy.  i’m thinking the novel is much better than the film.  my biggest complaint is just that the boy has lived far too a severe lifestyle since he’s been born to be such a whiny little thing.  shut up and deal with it kid.  i also found it interesting that the man was able to keep his bic lighter working for so long without running out of fuel.  this one is not near as good as no country for old men.  which is a complete downer in it’s own right.  if you’re just too happy, go check this one out.

the book of eli also involves the world after the blast.  and there are some cannibals in this one too, but they aren’t the main concern.  the big problem here is denzel washington, eli, has possession of a book that one particular evil city developer wants.  what is this book you may ask?  well if you can’t figure it out, i’m not telling.  actually, i am telling.

so old eli is just chilling after the blast that wiped out everything and he is spoken to by god, or an angel.  i’m not sure they specify.  but either way, he is led to a hill where he finds a book under a rock.  and he’s told to take this book west and that he would be protected so long as he was fulfilling his mission.  and he is protected.  whether by god or by his bad ass ninja skills.

this thing plays a lot like a comic book movie.  some of the images are really cool.  the first fight scene takes place in shadow, or rather there’s a very bright background so the figures in the fight are silloettes.  there is some really cool camera work particularly during the fight scenes.

but the whole being led to a hill and uncovering a book that is entrusted to him and he was to bring the book forth to a place where it can be accepted and not exploited kinda makes me think of the story of how the book of mormon came into existance.  joseph smith is visited by an angel and led to a hill where he finds a book under a rock.  at one point i leaned over the person next to me in the movie and said, it’s not a bible, it’s the book of mormon!

but no, i was a bible.

after the blast the people fell into a serious state of apostacy.  no leadership, no morals, no nothing.  the world of mad max comes to life once again.  and it has a serious mad max vibe.  where the road was washed out in gray, this world is sepia tone.

the book of eli is far more entertaining than the road, but i’m still not sure which one is better.  they are both well done and do not leave me looking for the day of apocolypse.  looks like it’s gonna suck.  gary oldman is always good and he’s good here, he just has a weak, one dimensional role that is far below his skill level.  denzel is a bad ass.  much the way mel gibson was a bad ass in mad max.  and that’s fun to watch.  mila kunis is finally cast in a decent role.  one that she fits into.  and that was nice to see.  eh, who am i kidding?  mila kunis is nice to see.

all in all, i’m glad i picked up the missing for 2 dollars.  quite a bargain.  the book of eli i’ll pay five bucks for.  the road and the blind side?  probably won’t make it into the collection.

Cal Reed

Michael Lewis might be the best non-fiction writer in America.

His twin passions are economics and sports. Any time his pen touches paper on either of these subjects, the results are dazzling.

In 2006 he wrote a book about the NFL called "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game."

It examined the transformation of the left tackle position on the offensive line, a position that became critically important after Hall of Fame defensive end Lawrence Taylor tore through the league in the 1980s. Taylor showed the devastating impact a pass-rusher could have attacking a (right-handed) quarterback's "blind side," i.e. the left side of the offensive line.

If someone like Taylor could not be blocked, victory would be impossible. This truth changed the game of football.

Instead of assigning unathletic fat guys to the underpaid and largely overlooked left tackle position, NFL teams began scouring the nation for the strongest, quickest, most athletic (but still fat) young men it could find. It desperately needed these rare body types to protect pretty-boy quarterbacks who made offenses productive.

Teams needed these physical specimens so badly they would pay millions for their services. Suddenly, men who couldn't get a job in the NFL had they been born a generation earlier found themselves the second-highest paid players on the team, behind only those glamorous quarterbacks with the wavy hair they kept intact.

At first this may seem a dry subject. Lewis' breakthrough was to combine abstract strategic analysis (the "evolution of a game") with the unlikely story of one of the "new men" selected by the NFL to play left tackle, an inner city gentle giant named Michael Oher.

Oher's childhood was sad and hopeless. Born to a crack-addict mother in a crumbling ghetto, Oher was never taught to read or write which, combined with his extreme shyness, created the impression he was borderline mentally retarded.

The truth was, Michael Oher was a highly intelligent kid who had never been given a chance to develop the most rudimentary intellectual skills, let alone the self-esteem he would need to take advantage of them.

This changed when he was spotted by wealthy Ole Miss booster Leigh Anne Tuohy, a football fanatic who saw a potential player in Michael. She and her husband assisted Michael's efforts to play for the all-white Christian academy where their own children went to school. Along the way they took a liking to Michael -- a feeling that was reciprocated. Eventually Michael moved in with the Tuohys and became part of their family.

Michael went on to play for Ole Miss and get drafted (in the first round) by the NFL. What should have been a wasted life instead became an exceptional success story.

It also became a fantastic book by Michael Lewis.

When writer/director John Lee Hancock was given the assignment to adapt Lewis' book, he made the critical decision to dump the half of the story that dealt with the NFL and instead make his movie exclusively about Michael Oher and his rescue by Leigh Anne Tuohy.

NicholasC

     Once the crowds cleared a bit and I didn't have to stand in line just to see a story I already knew, I went to go see "The Blind Side," and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.
 
Please note that because this is a true story, I may give away more of the story than I normally would.  I feel that it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Amelia doesn't quite make it all the way around or that the boat hit an iceberg and sinks in the end, so I tend to take a few more liberties with the review than I normally would. 
 
     "The Blind Side" is the true story of NFL left tackle Michael Oher, and how a kind family was willing to take him in when he had almost nothing, provided him a home, and allowed him to become a member of their family.  Oher is played by relative newcomer Quinton Aaron, whose subtle and withdrawn manner capture perfectly the slowly unfolding layers of Oher as he starts to become less of a stranger and more a part of a family.  Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw play Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, the eventual parents to Oher.  Sandra Bullock has a bit of trouble pulling off a convincing, southern accent, but still does a great job as a powerful and headstrong mother to her family, Oher included.  She reminds me a bit of Julia Roberts in "Charlie Wilson's War," but not nearly as bad.  (Sorry Julia, but that was a poor rendition of an aging, Texas debutant.)  McGraw plays a much more convincing, let's say, resident of Mississippi, (redneck!) but he is playing to his strengths.(I should talk)  All kidding aside, McGraw does deliver a strong performance, but the show is stolen by Jae Head, who plays the Touhy's youngest son, S.J.  Head lends a much needed comic relief to what could have been a far too intense movie. 
 
     There isn't a lot more to say about "The Blind Side."  It's an incredible true story and a feel good movie, so you'll pretty much know what to expect going into it even if you don't know Michael Oher.  What surprised me about the movie was the way it didn't stoop to a lot of sappy, saccharine moments or try to pound you with a message or a moral.  It simply tells the true story of a good person, who needed help, and some other good people who were willing to help.  From that, a young man, practically homeless, became one of the NFL's most promising left tackles.  The cynic in me didn't want to see this film, for fear of it being a boring, pandering, morality tale.  It wasn't and I'm glad I saw it.  You'll be glad you saw it too.

Brian
Ciné Critique Américain

Nice to see Sandra Bullock come back after the cinematic travesty, called All About Steve(2009). This was a well made film, perfectly filmed,and great performances by everybody.

Leigh Ann Tuohy(Sandra Bullock), seems to have the life most women would envy, a wonderful supporting husband(Tim Mcgraw), and two great kids(Lily Collins and Jae Head). But one day while driving home, she sees, a larger then life teenager which everybody calls Big Mike(Quinton Aaron), when she tries to talk to him, he comes across as a little withdrawn, and is nearly homeless, she decides to take him in, with her supporting family behind her. Leigh finds out his name is Michael Oher, and tries to dig up things about his past, in hopes of helping him, but the question is will she?

I really liked this film, it manages to balance humor and drama perfectly. Sandra Bullock gave quite a strong performance, so Quinton Aaron, Lyn Collin, but Jae Head is quite the scene stealer. It also has a good football scene as well. And Kathy Bates is good in her supporting role also. I say see The Blind Side.

Vincent Snavely