Best Bullock Effort Ever!

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2010)

Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) was a force of nature in this film. Her husband and family tread very warily in her presence. You could see her husband, Sean Tuohy (Tim McGraw), carefully considering what supportive position would earn the most favor before he dared give it utterance. Only her son S J was able to bend her will to his by the most artful of manipulation. That boy had her down cold, after mastering his mother, college football coaches were putty in his hands.
Michael Oher was a homeless black teenager barely coping with survival. He was a very sensitive young man despite his enormous size and strength. He only kept his sanity by blocking out almost all the horrid things in his past. This withdrawal made him very difficult to read by everyone he encountered. Strangers seeing his great physical prowess and knowing something of his past assumed the worst about his character.
Leigh Anne had no clue about the nature of the strange young man she gave shelter one night. Since he was so different, she decided to let him reveal his character by asking him how he felt about his situation and how he wanted to be treated. Michael slowly started coming out of his shell under Leigh Anne's relentless questioning.
S J was the first family member to bond with Michael. That was enough to encourage Leigh Anne to make the effort for the rest of the family. Once Leigh Anne had accepted Michael, no force on Earth was going to prevent her success in turning his life around. Michael really would have been destroyed by his awful situation if not for the intervention of Leigh Anne!
I have not felt so uplifted by a film in ages. There really are some very wonderful people in this world. Once in a while the forces of darkness are cheated of a victim. I know, I know, the film glosses over or ignores a great deal to fit its time frame. Still, the effort is superb and well worth watching again and again.