The Blind Side Review
by Steve Rhodes (steve DOT rhodes AT internetreviews DOT com)November 20th, 2009
THE BLIND SIDE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2009 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
THE BLIND SIDE is a wonderfully old-fashioned and decidedly inspirational sports film that will call to mind many other movies, especially ones like RUDY, in which an unlikely player makes it. But THE BLIND SIDE does have at least one completely unique aspect. It's about a kid who overcomes a very low IQ and a childhood spent in a long series of foster homes and eventually makes it into the National Football League.
The only potential problem for THE BLIND SIDE is that, were it not a true story, which it is, viewers would likely simply write it off as being completely unbelievable. Bookended with footage and still shots of the real Michael Oher, a guy with an IQ of 80 and an initial high school GPA of 0.6, and the real Leigh Anne Touhy, a Southern woman with a big heart and an unstoppable persistence who adopted the teenage Michael, the movie makes sure that we remember it's a true story.
Director John Lee Hancock (THE ROOKIE) lays on the schmaltz at times, and the movie is longer than it needs, but it is consistently genuine and touching. While not nearly as good as classic sports movies like HOOSIERS, THE BLIND SIDE never loses control of your mind or your heart. You'll be with it, cheering the whole time. One surprise is that, except for the introduction, the movie eschews any time on the football field until a full hour has passed.
When we first meeting Michael, who is now a professional right tackle, he is a homeless kid nicknamed Big Mike who doesn't speak and who may or may not be completely illiterate. His size and hence his potential for being an athlete get him a scholarship to a Christian high school in Memphis, Tennessee, but whether he'll ever get on a team is problematic. First, he has to get his grades up considerably to be eligible. This appears to be an insurmountable hurdle for him. He eventually makes it past this, even if just barely. But even when he does start to play, his coach complains in disgust that Big Mike "looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane." This initial assessment is dead-on, since Big Mike is, by his nature, a classic gentle giant who doesn't want to hurt anyone, even a little.
Michael, played with a beautifully understated performance by Quinton Aaron, is taken in by Leigh Anne and her family and eventually adopted. In one of many acts of unselfish grace, Leigh Anne works hard to give Michael more than just a bed, something he usually goes without; she gives him a real home. In probably her best performance ever, Sandra Bullock is downright brilliant as Leigh Anne. As in CRASH, Bullock proves again that she is much better at drama than comedy. She nails her character in a performance that's hard to forget. The world would be a much better place if more people were like Bullock's Leigh Anne.
The film is also quite funny, with Leigh Anne's young son S.J. (Jae Head, "Friday Night Lights) providing much of the humor. By the time the film ends, you'll have bonded completely with the characters, and you'll have shared some good laughs with them too.
THE BLIND SIDE runs a little long at 2:08. It is rated PG-13 for "one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references" and would be acceptable for kids around 9 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, November 14, 2009. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Cinemark theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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