Admittedly I’m an old cynical bastard in a young man’s body, so nine times out of ten inspirational sports films don’t connect with me at all. “The Blind Side” took everyone by surprise and I don’t think anyone expected it to hit as big as it did. But sure enough it did and I’m more surprised than anyone that I quite enjoyed myself most of the time because normally I’d find a reason to bash this film as being melodramatic. Sure it is melodramatic but oddly enough most of the events that occur here actually happened. Someone actually did take a poor African American child from the ghetto and turn them in to a fine upstanding citizen with a plethora of opportunities and it’s because of the Tuohy’s that Michael Oher was able to pursue his dreams and break free from the prison that is poverty and crime. John Lee Hancock directs quite a visually soft film that doesn’t play too heavy on the sap.
Even when there is the occasional tragedy, Hancock doesn’t place extended scenes trying to manipulate the audience in to crying, and just moves on with the story. While it is in its essence a family film it hardly ever shies away from portraying the personalities that stick true to the people this material is based on. Mostly there’s Leigh Anne Tuohy who has quite an razor tongue and Hancock displays that quite often, particularly when faced with threatening gangsters who attempt to strong arm her. It’s a funny moment in an otherwise entertaining movie. The person who comes off looking quite well is Oher who is portrayed as a kind and gentle young man whose goal is only to succeed and not step on anyone’s toes. The main attraction here though is the performances and Hancock derives some great ones from the all star cast. One stand out though is from newcomer Quinton Aaron (A Bronx resident like yours truly) who is heartfelt and gripping as Michael Oher and never overplays the role.
His humility and gentle nature shines through the film and though his presence is understated he’s quite powerful and manages to hold his own against the likes of Kathy Bates and Kim Dickens. Aaron is a very underrated young actor and he shines among big names here. There’s also Tim McGraw who is quite entertaining as the supporting husband to Leigh Anne, and Sandra Bullock who gives a truly good performance as the spunky Leigh Anne Tuohy who boasts about being Christian and a sports fan but has nothing but the best intentions when it comes to bringing Michael in to the fold of her family. Bullock takes the character by the balls and she is well deserving of an Oscar nomination. Every cast member is given a chance to shine on-screen and Hancock manages to turn what could be utterly ridiculous tearjerking material and transform it in to a compelling and emotional look at one of the most popular football players of all time. One of the aspects of inspirational films of any kind is that most of them tend to be about racism and possess considerable undertones of such racism.
Whether or not the film actually intends n it, “The Blind Side” doesn’t really end up being about Michael Oher in the end. By the time the movie is closing its narrative we have basically spent more time on watching Leigh Anne try to save this poor African American boy and take the role of his mother and then Michael basically becomes secondary to the movie. He’s almost a prop to keep people like Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock looking pretty. John Lee Hancock is working with an incredible inspirational tale and instead of actually pitting the focus on Michael and his efforts to fit in with a society and world filled pre-dominantly with white upper class people, instead of trying to figure out why he is such an incredible protector, instead we spend time learning about how this rich white family is adjusting to Michael, and how they’re able to take his protective instinct and use it to their benefit. Not to mention it’s indicated that he had an incredible bond with the Tuohy’s children and yet we only get to see his relationship with the youngest child SJ while the daughter Collins is only featured briefly. It’s stated that in real life she refused to take advanced placement classes and even dropped a few courses just so she could help Michael graduate.
We never see that. And whether or not it’s an actual occurrence, the film does perceive the Tuohy’s to be people who took Michael and made him in to the person they wanted him to be. They assume he wants to play football, they insist that he tries out and by the time he’s learned to play, they steer him toward attending the school they want him to attend. And when someone outside of the circle does question this, they’re perceived as the villains when really they’re just asking the questions we are by the second half. This is Hollywood so I can never really decide if this is how it actually went down but the undertones are apparent in the film and it just becomes another tale about the white people saving a black kid and teaching him how to walk upright and proper. In my book that’s not the kind of inspirational tale I’m keen to watching. Though not without its racist undertones, “The Blind Side” manages to take an inspiring story and use it to compose an entertaining and compelling tale with masterful direction and a slew of excellent performances from an all star cast. It won’t be on my top ten, but it’s well worth the watch.