The Blind Side (2009)

Michael ‘Big Mike’ Oher (Quinton Aaron) is a victim of circumstances. Born into a broken home to a cokehead of a mother, Michael is a vagrant on the wrong side of the tracks at 16. Enter Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) and Sean Tuohy (Tim McGraw). Taken in by the affluent family, Michael is giving the keys to success and rises to the occasion with a little help from the tenacious Leigh Anne. The opportunities afforded Michael blossom as he does resulting in a family and a community benefiting.

In this cynical age, it’s hard to find a film that endears without the saccharine feel. The Blind Side is a rare example success. Sandra Bullock leads an ensemble cast that feels good. Tim McGraw, the celebrity, is lost inside his role as a supportive husband and a young Jae Head threatens a precocious overload alert.

As sports movies go, The Blind Side is predictable; but that doesn’t keep the movie from being productive. I don’t know the true story of Michael Oher, but I sincerely hope he did have a parade of college coaches visit; otherwise, this film jumps the shark at its climax. The film was more about Leigh Ann (and Sandra's exaggerated performance of her).  I wanted more about Michael.

For all my nitpicking, The Blind Side is wholesome entertainment. It is often trite, stereotypical and a little to neat, but that’s the cynic in talking. For what it is—inspirational family fare—The Blind Side is a success.