The Blind Side 2009
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 the coach for Arkansas has for Razorbacks).
Still, putting aside all criticism, this is a good movie that just about anyone would enjoy. B+.
Update in 2024: I read Michael Lewis' book that the movie is based on. The book is very good and goes into a lot more detail than the movie can obviously. Lewis is a very good writer and a number of his non-fiction books have been turned into good movies. It is amazing to me that he published the book when when Oher was still at Ole Miss even though the whole book was about how great Oher would be in the NFL. By the time the movie came out they were able to add in that Oher had been drafted into the NFL. Now that it is 2024, Oher is retired and last year made news by going after the adoptive family for money he said he was due from the movie deal. I doubt Lewis paid the family or Oher anything for the book, because reporters rarely pay the people they interview. But to use their names, the movie makers had to make a deal, which they negotiated with Oher’s adoptive family. However, they never adopted Oher since he was almost 18 when they met him. Instead they set up a conservatorship which allowed them to negotiate the movie deal. My understanding of that deal is all of the members of the family (including the two biological children) were given equal shares even though the movie was primarily about Oher and the adoptive mother. Admittedly some self dealing going on there. I’m not sure how much more Oher could have made if he could have negotiated on his own since I doubt the movie makers paid that much either. The fame from the book and movie certainly didn’t hurt when he wrote his own book later or whatever career he chooses now that he is retired from football. Oher made a lot of money in the NFL even if his career wasn’t quite as stellar as was projected in the book. Part of this is that the economics of the position of left tackle changed and they aren’t generally the highest paid offensive player anymore. Plus it is a rough job and players rarely last that long. Oher only played eight years, but did go to two superbowls, winning one with the Ravens. There are other interesting wrinkles in the story. Oher’s football coach in high school wound up getting a job as assistant coach at Ole Miss after Oher agreed to go there. In the book Oher cites this as an example of people who use him to move ahead. However, that coach is now the head coach of Auburn, a job Oher didn’t help him get.
Anyway, watching the movie again knowing more of Oher’s real life story and having read the original book, I still really enjoyed watching the movie again. Even Tim McGraw as the adoptive father didn’t bother me this time. The coaches still aren’t great actors, but it is interesting that Nick Saban, who was leaving LSU to coach in the NFL when the book was written, continued to have an amazing career at Alabama and just retired. I would definitely recommend reading the book and watching the movie. The blu-ray also has some great extras including interviews with the real Micahel Oher, Michael Lewis, and the real life adoptive mother.
Written: 12 Apr 2010
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital