The Blind Side is different than I expected. For starters, I don’t like sports movies, pretty much as a rule, because I don’t really like sports. But, like Invictus, which I reviewed earlier, The Blind Side isn’t so much about sports as it is about the human condition, hope, and faith. But, while it was different in that the sports aspect was pretty much glossed over, it wasn’t too different than everything else out there and what you ultimately have on your hands here is a feel-good movie. A feel-good movie done well, but a feel-good movie nonetheless.
The Blind Side is a film about a down-and-out black boy from the projects adopted and saved from a difficult life by an upper-class white suburban family. Although struggling academically, the boy is incredible at sports, namely football. The movie follows his struggles to fit in, to deal with his past, and to make important, life-changing decisions like where to go to college. At the same time, the family who’s adopted him has to wrestle with questions of their own: questioning their intentions and motivations, their values, and, of course, deconstructing prejudices and misplaced notions in the process.
But, ultimately, The Blind Side is another feel-good movie. It gives all of us who aren’t doing a thing for their fellow man, to sit down in front of the TV and feel like we’re doing something to change the world. We walk away from the movie feeling like, yeah, we’re great people. Or maybe—and hopefully this is more true than not—we’re inspired to actually do something.
I can’t be too scathing because, to be honest, I enjoyed The Blind Side. But it isn’t breaking new ground.
The highlight of this movie, to be sure, is Sandra Bullock’s performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy, matriarch of the family. She won Best Actress for this role at the Oscars and following her award most of the chatter surrounded the fact that she hadn’t won for this role, but merely been given an Oscar because it was her time. The Academy, it was said, was just waiting for a chance to give her something because of her contribution to cinema. The same with Jeff Bridges, they said. It was their time, regardless of their performances. So I was surprised, because Bullock’s performance in The Blind Side is truly Oscar worthy. As Mrs. Tuohy, Bullock acts her heart out. She’s a fiesty, fiery and fearless white soccer mom—and it works. I’ve never been a huge Bullock fan, although she was great in Crash, I get the impression that she really stepped out of herself for this role.
In the end, all I can say is take it for what it’s worth. The Blind Side is a well-done feel-good movie but maybe this is an indication of things: We watched the movie pretty late at night and as it dragged on, being able to predict every twist and turn, it left me wondering when it would just up and end.
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