32) The Blind Side

The Blind Side (2009)

Director: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lilly Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kathy Bates

It's only a couple of days until the Oscars and there are still a few more films I wanted to try and see before the ceremony so I have to get cracking. Sat down today to check out the film getting Sandra Bullock the biggest raps of her career, The Blind Side.

The Blind Side tells the amazing true story of Michael Oher (Aaron). Known as Big Mike, is a mountain of a lad. He is homeless, with his family having been torn apart by his mother's drug addiction. While the local Christian high school admits him on the basis of his athletic potential, his academic performance is too low to allow him to qualify to play sports. When Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) sees him wandering in the rain one night, she invites him to stay with her white, upper-middle class family. With the support of the Tuohy family and the teachers at the school, Michael is able to get his grades to a level which enables him to trial for the football team, where he is a revelation, attracting interest from major colleges all over the USA. Having Michael become part of the Tuohy family not only changes his life, allowing him the opportunity to reach his potential which never would have been possible before, but impacts their lives equally, giving them a perspective on the world which they live in which they previously lacked.

As you would expect, this is quite an emotional film. It is particularly powerful for the first 45mins or so, as we learn about Michael's story and watch the way Leigh Anne takes him under her wing. It is easy for inspirational movies to push just a bit too far in the quest to make the audience cheer or cry, but Hancock shows some restraint, finding just the right tone. That being said, at about the hour mark, the film does change tone as the football side of the story comes to the fore, and for about half an hour it becomes quite a formulaic sports movie. This section of the film is still good, but not to the same standard as the opening hour. Luckily, the film re-establishes it's opening tone for the finish, refocusing on the family unit.

This is, without a doubt, the performance of Sandra Bullock's career. She's appeared in good films before, she was in 2004 Best Picture winner Crash, but she's never carried a quality film. I'll be honest, I didn't know she had it in her. I've always been a bit indifferent to Sandra Bullock. I thought she was ok. I enjoyed Miss Congeniality as much as the next person. But when she started last year with The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds and followed it up with All About Steve, which looked like it was possibly the worst film of 2009, I figured we were seeing the beginning of the end of Sandra Bullock, and then, out of the blue, she springs this gem of a performance on us. She gives the role some real punch. Leigh Anne is an assertive, opinionated woman who gets her way. But Bullock balances that with moments of vulnerability. I'd like to say this is the one she'll be remembered for, and if she picks up a Best Actress Oscar on Monday it may well be, but unfortunately I don't think enough people are going to see it and her legacy is still more likely to be Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous than The Blind Side.

The Blind Side is naturally drawing a number of comparisons with another Best Picture nominee, Precious, due to their similar themes about life in the projects for a black teen. The Blind Side does pull a few punches, not being quite so confronting in it's portrayal of the life of urban, black teens, and the issues of drugs, violence, etc. The general consensus is that The Blind Side is Precious-lite, a more family-friendly exploration of those themes, probably not as good a film, but a much more accessible film.

The Blind Side is not going to win Best Picture. It is not even going to get close. It is one of the charitable, 5th-10th bonus nominations. Sandra Bullock, on the other hand, is worth backing. She tied with Merryl Streep (Julie & Julia) for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, so we know she is up there in the opinions of the members of the Academy, and as much as the Academy loves Merryl Streep, the fact that this is such an uncharacteristically good performance from Bullock could be enough for the Academy to decide to reward her for it. A very uplifting, redeeming film, though if you are quick to get emotional, bring a box of tissues.