The Blind Side

B+

I never saw this feel-good sports movie when it was in theaters, so I didn't wind up seeing it until after Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for her portrayal of the strong southern woman at the center of this movie. Some may quibble over the accent, but this seemed like a completely genuine portrayal to me, showing that Hollywood can be kind even to a religious, Republican, gun-toting, southern woman. It reminds me at least a little of Julia Roberts in 2007's Charlie Wilson's War except better.

My problem with the movie, as with so many movies based on a true story, is that they only make true movies that are based on something too sappy to be done as a fictional movie. I don't doubt that there really is a family of kind-hearted millionaires headed by a former cheerleader and college sports star who take in the nicest black kid that could ever be imagined and who eventually becomes a football player in the NFL. But it certainly isn't typical. The result is a feel-good movie that never once wavers from the proper feel-good formula, but it is still fun to watch and still rewarding. It's nice to see a movie like this every now and then. I won't argue that Bullock deserved an Oscar for a very good performance, but the rest of the movie does not reach Oscar territory with some stiff acting by her husband in the movie (Tim McGraw, whose aw shucks performance would be better in a Hallmark movie instead of this one), an obnoxious kid, and any number of real-life college football coaches proving that acting really does take talent even when you are portraying yourself (though I enjoyed the low gutteral drawl of the coach of Ole Miss and the enthusiasm for the coach for Arkansas has for Razorbacks).

Still, putting aside all criticism, this is a good movie that just about anyone would enjoy. B+.

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