Movie Review: The Blind Side

I haven't done many movie reviews in this blog (if I've done any at all), but I feel I should do one. (Maybe I'll do more... who knows). But, I finally got to see "The Blind Side", because it finally debuted on HBO this month.

For most of you who don't know about this movie, to briefly summarize it (without spoiling it), it is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a big, athletic, but homeless teenager from the projects, who was sympathized and brought in by a wealthy Memphis family. Michael at first was reluctant to speak to anyone about his past, but as the movie goes on, the family (most especially the matriarch Leeann, played by Sandra Bullock) tries to get to know him, and eventually accepts him as one of their own. And as all of this was happening, we find out that Michael is a very gifted football player, who becomes one of the most coveted offensive lineman recruits in the country.

As far as inspirational sports dramas, this is a good one. As I said, I'm not going to spoil this movie (although, many have already seen it). After seeing it, I can see why this movie garnered the positive reviews that it did. Unlike many token inspirational sports movies, it didn't have the token ra-rah speech that is supposed to get you pumped. Don't get me wrong, a lot of times, I do appreciate those speeches... but this movie simply didn't need it. The story and character development alone was very inspirational, and made the movie outstanding. The humanity and personality of the characters jumped out of the screen, and you really started to care for the characters, as well as the story. Sandra Bullock did an excellent job portraying Leann Tuohy, and based on her performance, it was no wonder that she won an Academy Award for that role.

Maybe the fact that it was based on a true story made the characters and story more relatable (well, to me anyway). I felt that the fact that a good amount of the movie was real, made it more real to me, and something that can relate to your situation. Like I said, Michael Oher is a real person, and his "rags to riches" story about how he was brought up by the Tuohys is real... as he is now the starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. Even though Hollywood may have slightly changed/twisted the story a bit to make it more fit for the silver screen (as what they usually do in films based on true events), you can still feel the authenticity of this story.

But other from this movie being inspirational, it also had it's moments that would make you laugh, cry, or make you feel other emotions. Which is why overall, I think this movie is a pretty good movie, and that I would recommend you rent the DVD or check it out on HBO if you haven't yet done so. I can't give a "star rating" like the typical movie critic (since I don't consider myself an "official" one), but I would say that it is a pretty good movie that is worth your and your family's time if you need your heart strings pulled on. 

D4P...PD

-OBE