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Rating: 3 out of 5
Oh, football, how do we love thee. College Football and the NFL are almost straight-up religion in the United States. The Superbowl averages 112.3 million viewers and is the most-watched show in the past five years. There are so many ways to go when talking about football. For example, College Football and the playoff system. Should it be expanded? Is the SEC the greatest conference? Will Nick Saban continue his dominance in Alabama? Who doesn’t love a great Saturday college game? Then there is the wonderful NFL. Where on any given Sunday, someone can win. My team is the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, and I still love them. Also, what makes the NFL so great is Fantasy Football. Where else can you join a league and try to win overall? That is the outside of the field. On the field, can anyone stop Aaron Donald? Who is the best QB in the league? What RB will be the rushing leader? So many things revolve around the game of football, and it’s freakin great!
Besides all the greatness of football, have you ever heard any of the backstories of some of the players? Why do they really play the game of football? Some come from awful backgrounds and want to make a better life for their family. Have you ever heard the story of Michael Oher? Oher was an offensive lineman who overcame an impoverished upbringing to play in the NFL with the help of his adoptive parents. The Blind Side is a film that tells the story of Oher and his adoptive family. Seventeen-year-old Michael Oher (Aaron) is a huge, physically imposing black youth who grew up in the mean projects in Memphis. His mother has a drug addiction that places him constantly in foster care. His father’s friend wants Michael to have a good life and goes to Coach Burt Cotton, believing that Michael will be great for the football team because of his size and versatility. Michael is accepted into the exclusive private school of Wingate Christian School despite his pathetic 0.6 GPA. Is that even a GPA? After a chance encounter with Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) and Sean Tuohy (McGraw), Leigh Ann decides to take charge and accept Michael into her home. She wants to ensure that he has every opportunity to succeed. When Michael expresses an interest in football, Leigh goes all out to help Michael. She succeeds by telling off the coach and getting Michael a tutor while also providing a loving home and family as support. Soon, Michael becomes a big-time recruit and becomes eligible for an NCAA Division 1 scholarship. Now Michael must choose what school to attend while trying to pass all his classes.
There is one place that we MUST start this review with, and it is the fantastic performance of Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy. At first, I was meh toward Bullock because I didn’t want to hear another high-class Southern person, but Bullock changed my mind quickly with her sharp, fast-talking southern drawl. She was the best part of the movie and held the film together. It got to the point where you would rather see what came out of Bullock’s mouth than anything else. It was a pleasure watching Bullock. One of the best scenes she did was at the football practice scene. It was freakin funny and awesome. As she spoke to Michael, she described why he should protect each position and who they related to in the family. It was hilarious when she grabbed the running back and called him a freakin Oompa Loompa. Also, Leigh Ann is an OG as she told off her friends and even told several people that she was packin a gun in her purse.
Now for the actual story. It was okay. Besides Bullock’s performance, I felt like it was a good football movie where it showed a family taking someone from the opposite end of the street and making sure they survive in the world. Leigh Ann made the effort to bring Michael into the home and treated him like a son. I loved how the film showed how each family member accepted Michael in their own way. First, Sean buys Michael a truck when he gets his driving license. The best scene with the daughter, Collins, is when she is studying with her friends. While studying, Michael comes into the library and has to sit alone as no one will sit with him. Love how Collins dipped out on her friends and sits with Michael. The best family member by far is SJ. SJ is beyond hilarious and has many great scenes. First, the training scene is funny, but when he interviews each head coach like an agent, dude is on another level.
Yet, I must say that it had a complete white savior feel to it. It had that feeling that black people couldn’t do anything, and the only way for us to succeed was to have a white family help us. The feel made it look as if Michael wasn’t the smartest person in school. That he needed more help just to pass. When you read the actual story, he wasn’t a dumb person but a victim of his circumstances. I don’t want to bash this movie too much because I believe that we should all help each other no matter what race.
The cast is phenomenal in this film. First, Quinton Aaron as Michael “Big Mike” Oher was good. I felt like the movie dumbed him down for a more added effect on the film. Yet, he was so much bigger than everyone else. Kathy Bates as Miss Sue was also one of my favorites. I loved how she told the family she was a Democrat, and she wasn’t scared to bring out that wooden spoon. Once again, Jae Head as Sean “SJ” Tuohy Jr. was hilarious and the second-best person in the movie. Without him, this movie would’ve been a bore. Lily Collins as Collins Tuohy did her job and was a nice added addition. Finally, Tim McGraw was hardly in the film or didn’t say anything.
Overall, the Blind Side is a good football movie. Sandra Bullock is phenomenal in her role, and she deserved her Academy Award. She made this movie and held it together. The story is decent, but it does have the white savior mentality, but you will feel good for what happened in the end. Everyone deserves a chance to make a better life for themselves, and everyone should give a helping hand. For now on, sit and watch some College and NFL football and enjoy all the positions on the field.
