Thre's a lot to this movie

Rating: Null/10 (12 May 2010)

The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Goodfellas, were transcendent movies. The Blind Side (TBS) is not, which is why it is not a great movie. But in terms of its themes, it is a serious, well-made movie.
The main point, IMO, is that there is a disconnect between the Christianity Americans profess and the Christianity that they practice. Michael Oher went to a Christian Academy. But he wasn't admitted because he was a child in need, he was admitted because they thought he might be a good football player. He was consistently viewed as an outsider, befriended by no one. Were the Touhys the only people who saw that he was in need, or were they the only ones to act on their Christian faith? And if the faith of others is so shallow, what does that say about the state of Christianity today? TBS doesn't beat you over the head with this, but it is there. You often see statements of Christian faith ("in God, all things are possible") juxtaposed with examples of how people fall short of those ideals. Bullock's character is a right-wing, gun-toting, fundamentalist Christian. That such a person would take a 300-pound black kid into her home only shows how deep HER Christian faith is.
Another theme in TBS is how much of the plight of the black underclass is a result of their own behavior as opposed to the plight they find themselves in. TBS told you _a lot_ about Oher, but it did it through exposition, not dialogue. You saw his mother, you saw his background. You saw the thugs in the 'hood and you saw how utterly different he was from them and you knew, somehow, that that difference in character was why he was where he was, and why they were where they were.
Race, class, faith – all in a Hollywood movie about a football player. And the script makes sense and the performances ring true. I was glad I saw TBS and I wholeheartedly recommend it.