The Blind Side – Review

When the Baltimore Ravens selected Michael Oher in the first round, pick number 23 of the 2009 NFL Draft a few months back, it on paper seemed like another college kid getting a shot in the pros. In recent years, it seems like so many college kids play to get that big NFL salary, as if it’s theirs already, instead of realizing that it is a privilege and not a right, to play professionally. Michael Oher’s story, based on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, is an impossible story to believe, yet it is a true story. It’s so powerful, and while true stories have been marginalized into “feel good movies” that Hollywood producers love, The Blind Side actually feels genuine from start to finish, even with the film’s flaws.

So much is made in the sports world when a star player commits a crime, that we immediately look at his background on where he came from and who he is. It’s unfair, and a stereotype. It’s so easy to say generalized things about them due to home life, their friends, and yes, because of their race. We’re still that country, whether it is wrong or right, and even in a post-elected Obama era, it is still just the way it is. Oher certainly came from a horrendous upbringing, but strangely this didn’t lead to a violent adolescent. Instead, he became very quite, sweet young man, even though he only had the shirt on his back and nowhere to go.

Newcomer Quinton Aaron perfectly captures Michael Oher, although at first it seems like his a “deer-caught-in-the-headlights” approach is just him being green. Throughout the film, layers start to peel back, revealing a sincere performance. Lots of early buzz has been on Sandra Bullock, and for a lot of people that seems odd. I wouldn’t say she’s “slumming for an Oscar”, but she really is good, and hopefully, this performance will lead to more weightier roles, instead of a Miss Congeniality 3.  Pairing these two performances together, makes the film shine, despite every attempt of director John Lee Hancock to go the glossy, manipulative route of that Hollywood “feel good movie” archetype. He does at times, and that’s where the film suffers. But for every moment like that, the film realigns due to the sincerity of the actors, and Oher’s real story.

You can’t fake genuine. It’s either there or it isn’t, and despite The Blind Side‘s glossy, mainstream approach, Oher’s story will bring anyone to a tear. It’s a real success story, something that should be championed, especially with the recent bits of boneheaded play from coaches and players off-field in the NFL. The Blind Side does fly over some potential to spotlight some of the nastier elements within the story like stereotypes and underlining racism the Tuohy family, as well as, Michael faced. It doesn’t get into the nature of how being an offensive lineman has changed, which was the thesis of the book. These elements undermine a few scenes, namely the opening monologue. Showcasing when Lawrence Taylor broke Joe Theimann’s leg, and then saying how that one play changed the nature of blocking and pass protection in the NFL, we never get a real why. Michael Oher’s story is one we should keep in mind, the next time we want to judge someone. Just because your past was rough and bad, doesn’t automatically condemn a person. A good person, is a good person, where they’re lending a helping hand, or needing a helping hand. If you can get passed the parts of the film that pander to the mainstream, for the sake of accessibility, then you’ll find a solid holiday film.

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