Good movies tend to stick with you for a while. Why that is can be due to many different things: an amazing plot, mind-blasting technical presentations (think Star Wars for the 70’s, or something like Avatar for today’s standards), or an astonishing display of art that acting can be (none come to mind? Think Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood). However, movies can also get by on the strength of its sheer content alone, and the execution of this content can determine the type of effect it has on an audience.
The Blind Side is that type of a movie, a movie that executes a story very effectively based on its protagonist and the obstacles he overcomes. While the movie may not have the type of emotional impact as other dramas, but just like a good offensive tackle in football, this movie will grab you, this movie will push you, and it will keep you thinking.
The protagonist is Michael Oher (portrayed by Quinton Aaron), a teenager with a difficult past filled with violence, parents with substance-abuse problems, and a generally unsafe living conditions. He has no real home to return to, but through some fortunate circumstances and the kindness of a schoolmate’s mother (Sandra Bullock), he is able to raise himself out of terrible circumstances with his natural talent of protection, and ultimately leads to football. Sandra Bullock herself won an Academy Award in 2009 for Best Actress as Leigh Ann Touhy, the woman who offers Oher a place her home. The film is directed by John Lee Hancock. The film is also based off the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by renowned author Michael Lewis.
As stated before, the film succeeds not on its cinematic strengths, but it’s portrayal of the protagonist and the type of story he offers. Michael Oher is portrayed as a thoughtful, talented, and gentle giant, but one without a proper place to stay when it rains. With a few early scenes, audiences can already root for this person to succeed. However, despite being a type of family-friendly, feel-good drama, few scenes will hit the audience hard like a tackle. One notable scene however is the portrayal of Touhy meeting Oher’s birth mother. A scene can be an impact on multiple levels based on how you perceive it, but what hit me personally was that I saw a mother visibly hurt by her lack of responsibility in raising her own child. Its scenes like this that made The Blind Side memorable.
The Blind Side is the type of movie that can make you reflect on your own life, on how you can improve as a person, or where you can give back. It shows how profound of an impact you can have on one’s life, and vice versa. It’s the type of movie that when after seeing it, you should find loved-ones and have a strong urge to give them a bear hug. If this is the type of feeling that director John Lee Hancock wanted you to have, then by all means he has succeeded.
tl;dr? The Blind Side is a good movie to watch, and afterwards hug your mother if you can.
