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Directed By
John Lee Hancock
Written By:
John Lee Hancock, Michael Lewis
Cast:
Sandra Bullock, Kathy Bates, Tim McGraw, Kim Dickens, Rhoda Griffis, Quinton Aaron, Ray McKinnon, Jae Head, Andy Stahl, Omar J. Dorsey, Tom Nowicki, Catherine Dyer, Ashley LeConte Campbell, Sharon Morris, Shawn Knowles, Sonya Thompson, Scottie Knollin, Cesar Aguirre, Marvin Baldwin Jr., Tim Brazeal, Mia Clarke, Anthony J. Davis, Liam Ferguson, Trey Greene, Jevocas Green, Keith Allen Hayes, Barry Hopkins, Maria Howell, Alana Jordan, Bobby Jordan, Brandon Knowles, Micheal Leath, Kelly Collins Lintz, Lynn McArthur, Robert Pralgo, April Rich, Steve Warren, Ken R. Wheeler, Monica D'Onofrio, Melissa LeEllen, M.V. Oliphant, Cody Rowlett, Jennifer Rose Locke, Erika J. Wood, Haji Abdullah, Katherine Neslund, Jeanette Stout, Lily Collins, Jessalin Smith, Melanie Booth, Kelly Johns, Preston Brant, Stacey Turner, Matthew Atkinson, IronE Singleton, Kevin Nichols, Patrick G. Keenan, Rachel St. Gelais, Sharon McHenryPower, Eaddy Mays, John Newberg, Shannon Sullivan, Winston Mattox, Demetrius B. Banks, Hunter Aldridge, Edward Bryan, Erin Leigh Bushko, Kyle Carey, Chrissy Chambers, Chris Durant, Chasity Frye, Adam Hamilton, Amir Zeev Kovacs, Carmen Matheny, Gail Silva, Anthony Singleton, Steven Stadler, Alexander Stilwell, Savannah Stilwell, S.E. Stilwell, Zoe Stilwell, Jeanette Stout, Molly Swindall, Christoph Vogt, Kirsten Van Wagner, Jack Wu
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The Blind Side (2009)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
November 23rd, 2009
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'The Blind Side' serves as a nice companion piece to the recent masterpiece Precious; both deal with disadvantaged black kids, but this is a more uplifting story, only because its young protagonist, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) gets adopted by a supportive and caring white family, and he forms a special bond with Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock), who, along with her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), gives Michael the opportunity to go to college, and become a professional athlete.
This is apparently his only aspiration, and all that he seems capable of achieving. The real Oher is preparing for his first season with the Baltimore Ravens, so we are reminded that what is depicted here happened only a few short years ago, but obviously, events have been sanitized, and slightly fictionalized for dramatic impact. Michael is a teenager living on the streets; his mother is a hopeless drug addict, and he appears to be heading down that same path, with few other prospects. Leigh Anne offers to let him spend the night at her house; her children, go to Michael's school, and so while she does not know much about him, she finds that she cannot simply ignore his plight.
Michael might have dropped out of school if not for Leigh Anne's intervention, after she takes him in, his grades improve, and his natural intelligence is nourished by a stable and loving environment. It gives him hope. The film, from writer-director John Lee Hancock, is certainly inspiring, but also predictable and manipulative, though it does avoid some of the more familiar cliches. Leigh Anne and Sean are portrayed as being absolutely perfect in every possible way, a pair of wealthy, inerrant do-gooders. They are very kind and generous people, to be sure, but surely they must have some flaws. Do they view Michael somewhat stereotypically, assuming things about him, and his abilities, based exclusively on his blackness?
I got that impression. It is either because he is black, or because of his size, or a combination of both factors. There is not any real exploration of racism, or how some of the Touhys' friends and other relatives might not have been too pleased with the presence of a large black kid. Racism is often obligatory in flicks such as this, but is downplayed here so as to be practically non-existent. This is one of Bullock's finest performances; she settles comfortably into the role of Leigh Anne, maintaining a convincing accent and exuding maternal warmth and compassion.
McGraw, on the other hand, is bland, totally overshadowed by Bullock, and not really having many important scenes anyway. The same is true of virtually everyone else in the cast, too; including newcomer Quinton Aaron, who is likable, but offers a mostly wooden characterization of Michael Oher. Kathy Bates is wasted as Miss Sue, Michael's passionate and persistence tutor.
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