The Blind Side

Blind Side, based on the novel by Michael Lewis, captures the story of Michael Oher, a homeless teenager in Memphis who is given a second chance at life when he meets a woman named Leigh Anne Tuohy. It is based on the true story of Michael Oher, the Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle, and his journey from a homeless teen to an NFL player. The Tuohy family and Oher each share in a transformation-Oher becomes a star football player and upstanding student, while the Tuohy family ignores the adversity of the general public to show the true meaning of family. Michael, played by newcomer Quinton Aaron, is a homeless teen in Memphis whose mother is addicted to crack cocaine and left him to fend for himself at an early age. A victim of the weak education system, Michael is constantly in and out of schools until a local football coach sees his immense size (6'5", 330 lbs.) and offers Michael admission into a private high school. Michael still faces the struggle of reading and writing, as well as the uncertainty of where to sleep until one rainy night when football booster Leigh Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) offers her household to him. After she witnesses his condition, she takes him in and eventually adopts him. Michael finally reaches stability in his life and begins to excel at football and school with the help of the Tuohy family and Leigh in particular. Michael must prove to everyone at the school that he belongs there, as it is a predominantly white upper class school. The Tuohy family ignores the animosity of their friends and locals as they support Michael through his struggles. The movie shows the environment Michael grew up in as a kid, as well as, the constant struggles he encounters. The shots were well done as they showed the ghetto of Memphis and Michael's mother's crack den, as well as the upper class neighborhood Michael eventually lives in. The extreme differences give the audience the true sense of what Michael went through growing up and just how inspiring his story is. With the help of the Tuohy family Michael is able to flourish and eventually become an NFL lineman. The script and structure of the movie is phenomenal, but is complimented by the superb acting of Bullock and Aaron. who gives a convincing performance of a troubled teen. The audience believes they are seeing the real Oher, as Aaron perfectly captures Oher's emotions and attitudes in the extreme situations he encounters. However, Bullock stands out as the true star of the movie. As Leigh Anne, she displays true courage and determination to change Michael's life. Bullock finally is able to show her full potential as an actress as she leaves her usual chick flick and lame action roles. She may win an Academy Award for her performance and rightfully deserves it. Although the movie was inspiring and well done there are some things that could have been better. The first was the athleticism of Quinton Aaron; although he is of immense stature, he looks very out of shape and sluggish. It's hard to believe at times he is one of the top recruits in the country. The second was the overpowering performance of Sandra Bullock. She is phenomenal, but steals the spotlight from Aaron and the story itself. The movie begins to center around Bullock because of her superb acting and diminishes the storyline. Besides these minor details the movie still maintained a high level of excellence. I highly recommend this movie to everyone because it appeals to all ages. Anyone who watches the movie will be moved by the inspiring story of Michael Oher as it exemplifies the American dream. It is a feel good movie for everyone and destined to be one of the top movies of the year.

Grade: B+