White Savior Rides Again

Rating: 1/10 (11 May 2010)

Only a public that has been spoon-fed sugar-coated realities for many years could possibly find anything of merit in this incredibly insipid Disney tale for (white) adults. The horror, the horror, indeed (to quote a previous reviewer, who I believe was quoting a far better film).
I usually tend to review here only when I feel compelled to warn others of the pitfall into which I have fallen, or to cast my vote on a site I frequently use for its prognostic value. This was never truer than with this film (as of this review, 7.7 stars?!?!) I confess that I watched this pap even despite grave misgivings, and I can assure you that all my worst doubts were quickly confirmed!
I happen to love underdog sports films - a plentiful genre - so I had to see why this one had become so popular - what hidden nuggets of wisdom were missing from the previews? The answer: no nuggets, no history lesson, no novelty, no great acting (in fact, rather bad acting on the part of the husband and son), no insight - just the most insanely offensive and nauseating drivel I have seen in a very long time. And somehow people love it and call it "feel-good!" I call it feel-bad, because I felt very uncomfortable, and my discomfort was not temporarily relieved with the distraction of great action sequences, such as with the similarly white-savior themed Avatar (as if seeing a soldier betray and kill his own species in his own unit was not disturbing enough).
So what is so great about The Blind Side? Are there deeper meanings I am not understanding? If you want to truly understand how the legacy of slavery still plays out in the lives of modern day black Americans, get to know one! Or to better understand race relations in the U.S., read Obama's book "Dreams of My Father." Sure, it's nice that this lady and her family were so generous to a strange black kid, but why make a movie out of it? (Or even a book?) I hazard to say that this kind of story has countless permutations in the black community, where father-less or mother-less kids get taken in by an often equally disadvantaged family that does not happen to live in a mansion and purchase all their meals pre-cooked because they are too busy out shopping for the perfect window valance. So what makes this story so special? Because it resulted in a college scholarship? Or because it was a white family that adopted Big John?
For me the only truly poignant moment in the whole film is the scene with John's biological mother - a central moment in the film that is, sadly, all too brief. Here we see a woman who has survived unknown myriad personal and societal obstacles, but who can still show the strength and grace enough to be polite to this unfriendly, pushy white woman sitting in her living room and demanding answers. Other than this scene I cringed and groaned the whole way through - something that I'd probably do while viewing any schmalz of this type, but there's something more egregious about this particular schmalz being sold. Maybe I just can't stand having my intelligence insulted by cute one-liners and happy endings about what are really important and serious issues our nation should confront. Maybe Hollywood is dumbing down movies more than ever to reach the widest possible audience and bring in more revenue - I don't know, but whatever the reason for its creation or success, this film has no social value in my view whatsoever.
So if you are a fan of good films and good film-making, you'll no doubt already have known better and avoided this film - despite the bizarre accolades from the Academy and the public. Likewise, if you understand that racism and addiction, poverty and capitalism are all pieces of the same puzzle, you'll definitely want to steer clear of this. I would personally prefer to watch Brian's Song (maybe even the remake of Brian's Song) a thousand times over.