good but not GREAT

Rating: 5/10 (2 May 2010)

Based on real events this movie tells of a huge black teenage who is basically homeless and he's taken in by a rich white family who are obsessed with sports. This kid is good as sports, but doesn't really know how to play. They encourage him and help him learn football and his size soon makes him a superstar and the guy that all the major colleges want to draft. His poor background makes for his less than average grades in the classroom and the family also get him a tutor and help him with that as well. In the end it all works out and he becomes a legend in football.
OK thats what the story is about, but it has many deeper meanings and touches on so many things. I kept hearing about this movie and just had to see it. It wasn't perfect but it was a nice moving story that showed the innocence of a young man and how he had been neglected and had a troubled youth, yet he didn't have any hate or animosity in his body. He was one to protect and although quite and reserved he was very full of love.
My problems with this movie was race. I understand they had to show the ghetto and lay it on thick as to how his bad upbringing made him this way, but there should have been balance. His black neighborhood was filled with crack-heads and gangsters, but thats the only Africa Americans shown in this film. It was really sad that they shined such a negative shadow over the black community and made the white people out to be saints for saving this kid...I just would have loved some balance, even in the ghetto not all blacks are trash, so don't show it one sided.
I don't like movies that have anything to do with sports either and this movie was football, football, football... I know it had to be, but I am only saying, it's one reason I can't love this film.
The direction was okay but nothing too great, its funny this guy directed other sports film but I found his sports action scenes to be the worst direction of the film. Acting wise, I do not like Sandra Bullock, and by throwing on a bad southern accents and dying her hair blonde she ended up with so much praise...one of her better roles, but she still sucked, in fact she thought she was so bad she wanted to drop out and not ruin the movie...too late, the hero!!! Tim McGraw has no talent for anything so bad choice here with him. I love Kathy Bates, but even she did nothing for me. Quenton Aaron did great as Michael Oher and Jae Head did great as little S.J.
It's a very moving film, but it wasn't great, it is an okay watch, but its just a movie and I would recommend it to drama lovers but not much else. 5/10 stars