Inspiring and sweet

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2011)

This is a can't-miss family movie. After all, EVERYONE seems to like inspiring family films--especially when it's based on real people. And, not surprisingly, I had a thoroughly good time watching it--though I do recommend you see it with a box of Kleenex nearby.
The film is about a young man named Michael Oher--an extremely large black teenager who has bounced from home to home in the foster care system. Currently, he's in a new school and no one realizes that he has no place to live. Yet in spite of having a crack-addicted mother, a father who was killed in prison and every other reason to be an angry powder keg, he's a very gentle and sad soul---who is also enormous and has amazing potential to play football.
A nosy but very nice lady (Sandra Bullock) convinces her husband (Tim McGraw) to bring Michael home...at least for the night. But this one night turns into a permanent living situation and he becomes an important part of the family. However, despite this new living arrangement working out well, Michael is so far behind in school and his GPA so low that he hasn't a prayer to play football in college. That's because although many schools are now offering him athletic scholarships, his GPA is too low to allow him to accept these offers. So, with his new family's help, perhaps he can pull up those grades and have a future.
This film is super-inspirational and sweet--mostly because it's true. I am sure that some poetic license was taken when making the film (I especially wonder if the little brother could be THIS precocious and adorable), but overall they did a good job of sticking reasonably close the facts. While I loved Sandra Bullock's performance (she's great as usual), I was a bit surprised that she received Oscar for it--I did see a few performances in other films that year that I thought were a bit better (such as the leading young lady in "Precious"). Also, Tim McGraw, while a lesser role in the film, did a surprisingly good job--especially as he's really known as a country singer, not an actor. All around, a very good film and one that is meant to inspire.