Blindsided

Rating: 6/10 (20 November 2009)

OK, OK, so I was your typical reviewer who saw the trailers to "The Blind Side" and expected another football movie where a "one-in-a-million shot" with a lot of heart goes on to win the Super Bowl or national championship. And, when everything was said and done I would come home and write a review using the words "tear jerker" or "uplifting" or "scores a touchdown." Then I started to write this review and realized that it was all of those things plus a lot more.
"The Blind Side" is the story of Michael Oher, (played by Quinton Aaron), a teenager from a broken home with a troubled past who goes onto become an NFL draft pick. His story, as portrayed in this particular film, is not about how he laid awake every night dreaming of someday playing in the NFL. In fact, the NFL was only mentioned at the end of the movie where it actually showed the real Michael Oher being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. This movie was all about the journey.
It starts with Sandra Bullock's character, Leigh Anne Touhy, narrating and describing the importance of an offensive tackle (something I knew very little about) and moves into Michael being allowed a shot to go to a private school in Memphis. The young man does have a rough life, pretty much homeless, no family, no friends and extremely introverted. By fate, Leigh and her family take Michael in for a night and they become his surrogate parents for a while. They clothe him and shelter him and help him bring his grades up in school.
All along, Michael isn't saying more than a few words at a time. I think this was the strong area of the movie. This gentle giant brought out the best intentions around a lot of the characters in the story. We've all seen the football movies where the gifted athlete comes in and says a lot of smart-ass lines then butts heads with the coach and realizes he needs to listen in order to learn. Well, this movie takes a different approach (and since it was based on a true story I think this was the only approach he had to work with). Michael kept quiet most of the time and the people around him learned a lot about helping another human being.
Should you see this movie? Definitely. Yes. Even if you think you have seen this football formula before, you haven't. The movie used comedy to bring it to life. It used Michael's silence at the right times to make it stick. They thought this movie through before they started filming. Why else should you see it? Because it was an uplifting, tearjerker that will score a touchdown. (There, I typed the words and I enjoyed doing it).