The Blind Side

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: John Lee Hancock, Michael Lewis (author)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron
Release Date: November 20, 2009
Length: 2 hours 8 minutes

The Blind Side is an incredible true story about how a boy brought up by a drug addict mother, became a football player for the Baltimore Ravens. When Michael Oher needed a home to sleep in, Leigh Anne Tuoy gave him a whole new life. Written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and based on the book by Michael Lewis, The Blind Side is by far, one of the best films of the year. At the age of 18, Michael (Quinton Aaron) has found himself being educated at a private Christian school through the help of a friend and the coach. Leigh Anne Tuoy (Sandra Bullock) is a tough, gorgeous, motherly housewife that sees Michael playing with her adorable son, S. J. (Jae Head) one day when picking him up from school. One night when the family is driving home from dinner, Leigh Anne sees Michael walking with no coat on, in the freezing night. Realizing he has no place to go, Leigh Anne invites him to sleep at their house for the night. Soon enough, she ends up inviting Michael into their family. From the trailer of this film, I (and most people) thought that it would be a nice, cute film that would end up being inspiring. Wow, was I completely wrong. This film isn’t a tearjerker, but a film where you are able to cry and laugh and just enjoy every minute of it. I was incredibly compelled by the script and most importantly the acting. Sandra, Sandra, Sandra. Right now, the world hasn’t been getting enough of her. Last spring, she made many of us laugh and love her in The Proposal. This November, she reminds us that she is an incredible dramatic actress as well. Her previous dramatic roles have been in 28 Days and one of my all-time favourite films, Crash. Sandra Bullock is one of the few actors that can command both comedy and drama. The characters she played in The Blind Side and The Proposal are completely different, but I noticed that both characters have extreme confidence. This is something that Sandra Bullock masters. All eyes shoot to her when she is on screen and not just because of her looks, but also because she has presence. Tim McGraw does a convincing performance as Leigh Anne’s husband, Sean. Jae Head performs wonderfully as their son S.J. This kid provides many laughs for the film, and he will go far after this movie. Movies based on true stories always seem to have more of an effect on people when they see them. The people I went to see the film with did not know it was a true story until the end of the film, when they showed a clip of the real Michael Oher being chosen as a Baltimore Ravens football player in 2005. After the audience realized that this movie was based on a true story, there was somehow an immediate effect of inspiration and pride for the audience. This movie is a great film for everyone to watch, including kids and Sandra Bullock just keeps getting better. It’s an incredible surprise, The Blind Side triumphs as one of this year’s films.