Interesting movie on a non-interesting main topic...

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2014)

...at least for me as I am not into sports, and the phenomenon and rules of US football have remained mystery to me. However, from time to time, I watch some sports movies, usually if the persons I admire are involved.
As for The Blind Side, the plot based on real persons and events provides a strong additional value, otherwise it could have become a moralizing story about racial tensions, wealth vs. poverty, naive attitudes on helping and alike, quite often present in Western movies aimed at as wide audience as possible. Here, it all makes sense, and we can follow a story of a young Afro-American lad from his scanty upbringing, through his years at Christian school and his adoption, to his position as one of the most appreciated prospects in college football, then finally becoming a first-round pick in the NFL. All the performances are at least good, but my favorites are Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy and Jae Head as Sean "SJ" Tuohy, Jr., whose roles distinguish from all the others, including Quinton Aaron as Michael "Big Mike" Oher who apparently was rather dull in real life. In addition, it was pleasant to notice "Cinematography by Alar Kivilo", probably the most known Estonian in Hollywood.
All in all, a good movie, although the start was protracted (plus without Bullock), and sports scenes covered quite a big share of the total length. But those "minuses" did not call away this generally smooth creation.