Blind Sided By Ms. Bullock

Sandra Bullock, even in her forties, still looks great in a pair of white pants. Just sayin'.

The Blind Side

starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates

directed by John Lee Hancock

Can you remember the last Sandra Bullock film you actually liked? Its difficult, I know. I’ve blocked from memory The Proposal and Premonition, and I didn’t even bother to see All About Steve. Don’t even talk to me about The Lake House, or Miss Congeniality 2 for that matter. I’d have to say for me that the last good one was 2004’s Best Picture winner Crash, but that almost doesn’t count because she has minimal screen time. I dont’ mean to hate on Sandra, but let’s face it, she hasn’t been choosing the best films the last few years. However, she just might have redeemed herself with her role in The Blind Side, this year’s latest sports/drama.

The kids call Michael Oher(Aaron) Big Mike because, well, he’s humongous. Mike hasn’t had the best childhood; he was forcibly taken from his drug abusing mother at a young age by child services and lost contact with his siblings. He goes through multiple foster homes and ends up briefly in the home of a friend’s parents. He enrolls in the local school, but shortly loses his place to sleep. With nothing but a change in clothes and a plastic bag, he tries to survive. One night, Leigh Anne Touhy (Bullock) and her husband Sean (McGraw) see him walking the streets. He attends the same school as their children. Leigh Anne invites him into their home, thinking its only for the night. However, Leigh Anne learns of his underprivileged situation and decides to take him in permanently. She feeds him, clothes him, gives him a room, and pays for a school tutor. Mike went from not having much of a future to having a chance to make something of himself; particularly in the form of Football. The family helps him work toward getting a scholarship from a big school. Plus, its all a true story.

The Blind Side is probably one of the better actual family films I’ve seen this year. Its about people helping people; its about giving someone who has no chance a real opportunity to create a good life for themselves. Its got great humor, great heart, and enough inspiration for make you want to get out and help someone yourself. Further more, America loves a good sports drama. Hancock achieves an awkward but enjoyable balance of sports action and heart felt, inspirational drama.

 To its discredit, though, it almost goes too far in some areas. Some of the comments and even some of the situations could be considered border lined racist. The manner in which the adoption takes place and how the events unfold are a bit uncomfortable; but it is clear the intentions of the filmmakers are sincere, and they successfully grappled with the racial topic. For the most part. I’ll give it this; its position on family and love and skin color is clear and upstanding, but some of the side comments are just questionable and almost unneeded for the purposes of the film. In short, the dialogue could have been handled in a much more appropriate manner.

Best part of the film, by far, is the stellar and admittingly suprising killer performance by Sandra Bullock. Amid all of the stupid comedies and melodrama, I almost forgot she could actually act. It seems that Bullock has been distracted, or even delusioned, by playing roles that she is quite frankly getting too old to play. I’m sorry, but she’s not the same bouncy and cutesy little twenty year old she once was. Bullock is now mid forties, and I think its time to leave those kind of roles behind. Her role as Leigh Anne Touhy proves me right; the accent is dead on, every tear seems true, and you can feel her uncertainty and determination about the boy she has chosen to take under her wing. She’s great in a motherly role; but she also gave the southern belle a real daring and blunt personality; Touhy is one little Southern momma you want on your side in a fight. It was a great balance of a deep character, and Bullock proved that she still derserves to be in the movies.

Take your whole family out to see The Blind Side. All ages and tastes can appreciate it, and it just might touch your heart a little bit. However, besides the stellar performance of Sandra Bullock, there’s really nothing special to the film. It is good. Even very good. But its not a great film. You could miss it and not feel guilty, but I can’t think of a good reason you wouldn’t want to see it. Much worse films have graced the screen and not at least attempted to impart the amount of love this movie did. And for that, kudos to cast and crew.