Typical feel good sports story that is driven by a compelling performance by Bullock

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2010)

I usually am not one for the sappy, beat all odds athlete stories because usually they are a dime a dozen. The Blind Side follows the usual trend. The story is laden with clichés, predictable and at times a little melodramatic. This film though was quite touching and the vehicle for that was Leigh Anne Tuhoy played by Sandra Bullock. While the role is showy and at times maybe a bit over the top, I blame that on the writing and not Bullock. There are several outstanding scenes in this movie that should assure Bullock of her first Oscar nomination, hell maybe even a win. The one scene that moved me the most is when Leigh Anne was talking to Mike's real mother. Not much was said, but the facial expressions on Leigh Anne's face said it all. It was so touching to see Leigh Anne begin to realize just where this boy came from. Its easy to see why this film has become such a hit over the holidays and its easy to see where all the praise for Bullock is coming from. This film is by no means flawless, but it is a neat little story.
7/10