The Blind Side

Rating: 4/5

Though it may be predictable, The Blind Side is still heartwarming and charming.

Seventeen year old Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) comes from an incredibly rough part of Austin. Due to his drug addicted mother, he has now become a ward of the state and finds himself being homeless. One night, while walking to the school gym for shelter, the Tuohy family notices him wandering in the cold night. The mother, Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) invites him to stay at their home.

Quickly, the Tuohy family take a liking to Michael, and begin to treat him like a member of the family. The Tuohy's are huge football fans, and given Michael's size, try and get him to go out for the school football team. Though his grades are not great, Michael works hard in order to play for his high school. With people in the community taking notice of Michael's football skill and the unusual circumstances of his new life, the Tuohy family and Michael must learn to stick together in order to triumph over adversity.

Almost every single sports film in the world is going to follow a similar patten. They are almost always based on true events, and they are most commonly some form of an underdog story. The Blind Side definitely fits into that pattern, but that is one of the reasons it is an uplifting movie. You have a pretty good idea of what the final outcome of the story will be, but you are looking forward to see how the characters will get there.

When this film was originally released in 2009, the main thing that was talked about was the performance given by Sandra Bullock. This film earned her an Oscar, and it does feel well deserved. Leigh Anne Tuohy doesn't go through any major hardships or transformations throughout the story, but she is consistently protective and strong for her family, and Bullock never lets that sentiment falter.

Part of the appeal to sports films, is the excitement and energy that usually is brought to the screen by its' story. The Blind Side does have more quiet moments than some other sports movies that I have seen, but it certainly has its' fair share of scenes that get your heart going. Oddly enough, those don't always come from the scenes showing Michael playing football, but from scenes where Leigh Anne is fighting for Michael's rights. It is the combination of the action filled football scenes, and the heartfelt moments between Michael and the Tuohy's that make the Blind Side not disappear into the collection of the numerous other football movies out there.

I doubt that there are any fans of football or sports movies that have not at least heard of the Blind Side, but if they haven't, then they certainly should see this film. It has all the checkpoints for a great sports movie, and is entertaining from beginning to end.

2010 Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Sandra Bullock