You'll find it hard not to be swept away by the story.

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2010)

Sandra Bullock has never been a great actress. The 46 y.o. has had her fair share of commercial hits – Speed, Miss Congeniality, The Lake House - but none of these struck gold at the box office because of her dramatic talent; she's easy on the eye and has an endearing personality. Which is why you'll be as surprised as I was when you witness Bullock acting the house down in Blind Side. Powerful, convincing and affecting, she gives her best performance to date as Leigh Anne Tuohy, even if it's not Oscar-worthy as many would have you believe. Although with the Golden Globe already in the bag, the shiny statuette could well find its way into Bullock's hands - a damn shame for Carey Mulligan who deserves the win for An Education.
Getting caught up in the hype surrounding Bullock's comeback it is easy to forget that this film has so many other things working for it, least of all that at its core is an intriguing and absorbing story. Writer-director Hancock has an obvious affinity to the material and he doesn't hold back in attempting to wring every drop of emotion from it, even if occasionally a subtler approach would have been favourable. Thankfully, Hancock has crafted some tremendously touching scenes that go a long way in glossing over the seldom spill into pensive melodrama. Those who are excited about seeing some Gridiron action, a la Remember the Titans, best lower their hopes as unfortunately the movie is strangely devoid of any hearty sporting scenes – excluding a pointless training montage that'll make you cringe – which is a severe drawback.
Aged 26 in real life, relative unknown Quinton Aaron plays the 16 year old Michael with a nice balance of damage and hope. Big Mike, as he's known in the 'hood, is extremely reticent and withdrawn yet we feel a close connection to him thanks to Aaron's thoughtful portrayal. Kathy Bates continues with her underdone roles of late, here not getting the screen time she deserves as a quirky tutor. Also failing is Jae Head's gregarious S.J.; Leigh Anne's young son who loves the attention his new stepbrother gains him.
The content isn't quite strong enough for a runtime of 128 minutes but you'll find it hard not to be swept away by Michael's story.
3.5 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)