The Blind Side

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Film: The Blind Side
Year: 2009
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Lily Collins, Kathy Bates
Genre: Biographical Sports Drama
Direction: John Lee Hancock

I knew Sandra Bullock won academy award for best actress for this movie and the movie is vaguely related to football.  I'm not a sports fan. I can be completely blind and deaf to the game on any screens without much effort. Why I'm saying this because if a film is based on some sport, I'm reluctant to go ahead with it. Last week after Sunday brunch we started watching it on a whim. Just 10 minutes into it and we are hooked. That same evening we had to attend a family friend's Mohiniyattam performance and we had leave the house in an hour to make it in time. We neither wanted to abandon the film in between nor cancel the performance. We toss a coin in a situation like these to make a decision and it was in favor of the program. So, with a heavy heart we decided to continue it once we return from the show and continue we did.

In a Nutshell: Michale Oher had been in-and-out of foster care as his mother is a drug addict. One day one of his friend's father enrolls him into Wingate Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee with the help of coach who is taken in by Mike's enormous built and sturdiness.  He had to convince school principal and other teachers because Mike's academic records are very poor.

Leigh Ann Touhy (Bullock) discovers Mike walking on the road in a cold night without proper clothing. She is an interior designer by profession and two of her children study in the same school. Her husband is a rich businessman  When she realizes Mike doesn't have a place to stay she asks him to sleep on the couch for that night. From then onwards she decides to take him under her wing and her whole family is nothing but supportive. They nurture Mike's athletic gift and set him on the path of football. 

My Take: A feel-good drama, which is a sure shot tearjerker. This biographical sports drama is based on the book of same name "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. Almost all characters in the movie are too good to be true. For a cynic like me it is difficult to digest. Having said that I'm always up to appreciate goodness in people, even a fraction of it. Ms. Touhy treating Mike just like her own kids made me fall in love with the story. In this cut-throat competitive world such a quality is rare and unique. Bullock is without a doubt heart and soul of the movie. She carries the high society woman's role with such an aplomb. She is self-assured, confidant, energetic, with a heart of gold. And her wardrobe is to die for. Quinton Aaron as Big Mike's performance is praiseworthy as well as all the rest of characters.

The best scene for me is when Leigh Ann comes down to check on Mike the next morning only to find neatly folded blankets on the couch that makes her smile. And that was the precise moment she decides on adopting him. How many of us can be like Ms. Touhy. Okay, it is given she has a truckload of money. Even so, I don't think anybody will go the extent of opening their heart and home to a grown-up African-American boy without a second thought. The social economic status and racial bias is what make the story more distinct and believable. If you're not too judgmental this one is for you all.