The Blind Side
The ending narration hits a wrong note for me- seeming to connect two things that didn’t seem to fit together- but otherwise, this inspiration drama- inspired by a true story (those four dreaded words)- is a success. Not Best Picture worthy mind you, but certainly an entertaining, family-friendly entry in the vein of “Remember the Titans” and “Rudy.”
Sandra Bullock, however, completely earns her Oscar nomination (and probable win) as Leigh Anne, an affluent Southern woman who takes in Michael Oher (the wonderful Quinton Aaron), a young man with a big body and hardly a chance in the world to succeed until Leigh Anne comes into his life. Soon, his grades are improved, he’s playing tackle at an all-American level, and every SEC team is wanting to recruit him.
The film skirts the potential to be “white guilt chic” by playing it honest, by not ignoring the type of life Michael could have lived (we do see his mother, and she’s portrayed toughly and without cliche), and by being intelligently written and directed by John Lee Hancock (who’s familiar with true life sports dramas, as his superb 2002 film “The Rookie” proved). But the film’s real core is in the effortless chemistry Bullock and Aaron have together. Both are portrayed as good people who have a positive influence on each other. The rest is movie-of-the-week melodrama, but Bullock, Aaron and Hancock make it resonate.
