MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (11/20/09) THE BLIND SIDE
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Ray McKinnon, Jae Head, Lily Collins, a bunch of current and former famous college football coaches ... And Quinton Aaron (a.k.a. that huge black dude playing the real life huge black dude on which the movie is based)
WRITER: John Lee Hancock and Michael Lewis (the book upon which the movie is based)
DIRECTOR: John Lee Hancock
WEB SITE: www.TheBlindSideMovie.com
THE PLOT: Based on a rather remarkable ("incredible" gets overused a lot with these) true story, The Blind Side begins with a fateful tale of former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann and how Lawrence Taylor, in one of the infamous moments in NFL history, decimated his leg on Monday Night Football. For that moment showed the importance of the left tackle in football, since for most quarterbacks, the left side of the field when they turn to pass is their "blind side."
Football, however, is the furthest thing from the mind of young Michael Oher (portrayed in the film by Ross) - for his living situation is one ripped from the lyrics of your average "gangsta" rapper: His father is no where to be found, his mother is an addict and his neighborhood is one where people from the rich section of town don't travel. Luckily for young Michael, a relative (Omar J. Dorsey) looks out for him enough to get him into a prestigious Memphis high school due to his massive size for his age (or any age, actually) and natural athletic talents. But as fate would have it, the relative isn't going to be able to look out for Michael forever.
Across town, though, life couldn't be better for Leigh Anne Tuohy. Her husband (McGraw) is a successful Yum! foods (think Taco Bell and KFC) franchisee, her daughter (Collins) is a cheerleader and her hyper, friendly, ambitious son S.J. (Head) is ... Hyper, friendly and ambitious. Leigh Anne may be rich, but she knows how to do right by people and believes in people worth believing in.
So, on one fateful, rainy night, of course it's Leigh Anne and her family driving along when they see Michael walking aimlessly down the road in the rain. After S.J. tells her who Leigh Anne who he is, she stops and asks Michael a few questions and makes him get in their large Chevy SUV.
The rest, as they say in all seemingly (notice the word 'seemingly) cliché movies, is history . . .
THE TAKE: You've seen stories like these for years ... Or at least since Gary Coleman was steadily employed with Todd Bridges and the late Dana Plato on Diff'rent Strokes. What makes The Blind Side enjoyable and worth watching, however, are two simple things: [1] The heartfelt, non-hokey performances of the film's stars and [2] the fluid presentation of the film by its writer/director.
With the exception of a scene near the film's climax, the realities of the standards that are Michael's world never feel false in their authenticity. Likewise, Bullock and company are cautious to make sure Leigh Anne and her family are never presented as Michael's white saviors or saviors at all; instead, she (and the rest likewise) are simply shown as people trying to do a good thing for someone who, when challenged, ultimately make the decisions one would hope people would make. For all the flack she's taken for some of recent roles, The Blind Side does much to re-establish Bullock's prowess as both an actress and box office lead.
For his part, Hancock moves the story along with just enough depth to give you the necessary emotional connections to the film's central characters while interjecting enough humor and drama without being corny or sappy in either regard. Football is (rightfully) used as the background thread that brings these characters together, but football is not the main focus of the story.
It's people coming together as a family - and the way that is executed in the film makes The Blind Side a winning franchise.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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