The Blind Side

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2011)

The film The Blind Side, based on the true story of Leigh Anne played by (Sandra Bullock) and Sean Tuohy played by (Tim McGraw), two people who take in a homeless teenage African-American, Michael Oher, also known as "Big Mike" played by ( Quinton Aaron) . Michael has never really had a true family, and does not know the whereabouts of his father and or his mother, whom he has left because she was a drug-attack. Michael has had little education and few skills to help him learn. With help of the Tuohy family, and teachers at the Wingate Christian School, he soon begins to gain the proper knowledge and skills he needs to be able to try out for the school's football team. Leigh Anne soon takes charge, and helps to ensure that the young man has every opportunity to prosper. Leigh Anne starts off by giving the coach a few ideas on how best to use Michael's skills and help him become a football player with such "protective" instincts. The Tuohy family, not only gives him a loving home, but hire a tutor, Miss. Sue played by (Kathy Bates) to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I, and be eligible for an athletic scholarship. With the help and support of everyone around Michael, he was the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft. (Hancock, 2009) In the opening scene where Michael is sitting in the back seat of a car with his friend and his friend's father, the viewer sees life though Michael's eyes as he is riding along in Big Tony's car and the viewer gets the idea the kind of life Michael has while driving through the ghetto and into a better neighborhood as they get closer to the school. The camera angles are very observant to the characters view. Another scene that shows good lighting and has specific relevance to the theme, is where Leigh Anne shows Michael his room and he then tells her he has never had a bed before. The lighting is very bright but as Michael scans the new bedroom he is given, it gets lighter as he explains to Leigh Anne he has never had a bed the lighting grows darker as Leigh Anne exits the room and goes to her room to ponder the information Michael had just given her. This gives the viewer the feeling of emotions that have overtook Leigh Anne as she has realized she has just given Michael something he has never had before. One of my favorite scenes in this film is when S.J. played by (Jae Head) and Michael are driving in Michael's new truck and listening to music and they get into the wreck, the director uses a slow motion type affect that shows the truck smashing into the truck and the airbag deploying and Michael stopping it from hitting S.J. The angles used in this scene give the viewer the feeling as if they are in the accident too. This film reminds me of the film Radio with Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding Jr. The theme is somewhat close to the theme of The Blind Side. Both characters are taken under the wing of white people who give them the guidance and love they deserve along with a chance to prosper.