Who would have thought we'd have a black son before we had a democrat?

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2012)

The Blind Side is written and directed by John Lee Hancock. It stars Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lily Collins and Kathy Bates. Music is scored by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Alar Kivilo.
17 year old Michael Oher (Aaron) has been denied a stable upbringing in a loving family, wandering the streets devoid of an education of note and perhaps one step away from falling in with the wrong crowd? Big Mike is taken in by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) and her family. Motives and means will be questioned elsewhere, but Leigh Anne taps into Big Mike's psyche and unearths a potential football star, but he, and the Tuhoy family, must overcome obstacles first.
A big hit at the box office whilst garnering Bullock the Academy award for Best Actress, The Blind Side is proof positive that in a world that is often crappy, a simple button pushing movie can soar high and provide airy relief. Based on a true story, the film never lacks for emotional thrust, it is undeniably a sweet, and at times, uplifting picture, yet it lacks a dramatic edge, a boldness to really make the story grab you around the throat, forcing us to gasp for the emotional air floating up there in the sky. There's a tangible feeling of manipulation, a good ole whitey saves the down on his luck black fella narrative, where regardless of truth, it's a bit annoying to see Michael Oher (you know, the guy who the story is about) playing second fiddle throughout.
With scenes involving Oher's mother (Adriane Lenox) lacking any emotional gravitas and the trips to the Ghetto devoid of genuine grit, Hancock is fortunate that the audience reaching out for some uplift was prepared to forgive these errors. That he had Bullock on top form also helps considerably. He should be commended for getting a performance of such unswerving charisma from her, even if it relegates everyone else around her to the sidelines. It was a role Bullock kept turning down (it had been offered to Julia Roberts first), she wasn't sure she could portray well enough such as strong religious lady as Leigh Anne Tuhoy, but eventually she signed on and etched her name into the annals of Academy Award winners.
If it's the best actress performance of 2009 is up for much debate, as is if it is even Bullock's best career performance in fact? But undeniably it's a star turn that manages to hide the failings lurking under the sweetly stitched quilt pieced together by Hancock. In Bullock's hands the Tuhoy character holds our attention throughout with a mixture of strength, spunk and unflinching beliefs. If she's shouting down a redneck idiot, correcting a football coach or fronting up to a big mouth Ghetto leader, she has us firmly on side and eating out of her hands. She's the main draw card here, which is both a blessing and a hindrance. Best to roll up for this one expecting to be moved and cheered, but be prepared for a lack of complexity and guts. 7/10