“The Blind Side”, a new film with a football backdrop from Warner Bros., opens nationwide this weekend.
Written and directed by John Lee Hancock (“The Rookie”) this is the story of a young black teen Michael Oher and his unusual path to success on the gridiron and a better life when he is taken in by an upper class white family after growing up virtually abandoned in the poverty-stricken projects of Memphis where he had few options and even fewer opportunities.
Essentially homeless, Michael is spotted on the street by Leigh Anne Tuohy. Learning that the young man is one of her daughter’s classmates, Leigh Anne insists that Michael-wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the dead of winter-come out of the cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, she invites him to stay at the Tuohy home for the night. What starts out as a gesture of kindness turns into something more as Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family despite the differences in their backgrounds.
Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. And as the family helps Michael fulfill his potential, both on and off the football field, Michael’s presence in the Tuohys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own.
Sandra Bullock (“The Proposal”) and Tim McGraw (“Friday Night Lights”) star as Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, and Kathy Bates (“Misery”) stars as the young man’s dedicated tutor, Miss Sue. Quinton Aaron is introduced in the central role of Michael Oher.
The filmmakers talk about what drew them to the story.
Hancock states, “It really is two different stories, one of which is more of a question: Who is Michael Oher and why did the stars align to shine so brightly on this kid from the projects in Memphis? And then on the other side, it’s a great story about how this unique family evolved, and the unconventional mother-son relationship at its center. Sports, specifically football, was the engine that propelled the story forward, but he could have been a dancer or a pianist-it wouldn’t have made any difference. The journey that Michael and the Tuohy family go on is the heart of the movie.”
Star Sandra Bullock notes, “The beauty of the story is that you think it’s one thing and it turns out to be something else, and those are usually the best things in life. I thought the script was going to be about football until I read it and realized that it’s really about family.”
She adds that, while it is obvious how much the Tuohys did for Michael Oher, “it was not that one-sided. They certainly did a good deed in taking in this young man in such a loving and generous way. But, in turn, he brought out a side of their family that they didn’t even realize was missing. The family seemed to have all the success and joy in the world, but when Michael showed up, it was as if he was the final piece to the puzzle.”
The actress’s observation is confirmed by her real-life counterpart, Leigh Anne Tuohy, who offers, “I think Michael had a much greater impact on our lives than we did on his. You take so much in life for granted, but when Michael moved in with us, he made us realize how blessed we are. We viewed life differently after he joined our family.”
How Michael Oher became a part of the Tuohy family was first chronicled in the best-selling book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, written by Michael Lewis, who had previously focused on the sport of baseball in his bestseller Moneyball. The author reveals that he stumbled on the story of Oher and the Tuohys almost by accident. “For anyone who wants to interpret the whole thing as some kind of miracle, there’s a lot of evidence,” he laughs.
Lewis, who had gone to high school with Leigh Anne’s husband, Sean, had initially contacted his old classmate to interview him for an article about their school baseball coach. That eventually led to his meeting Michael and learning of his relationship with the Tuohys.
The book The Blind Side juxtaposes Michael’s story with an in-depth look at how the position of left tackle on a football team has grown in importance, instigated by a single, unforgettable play-Lawrence Taylor’s career-ending sack of quarterback Joe Theismann in November 1985.
The film’s essence is gratitude with the director connecting it to that great American holiday being celebrated next week.
Hancock concludes, “I think it’s appropriate that this movie is coming out around Thanksgiving because it is very much about giving thanks. It is about taking stock and being grateful for the things you have. And also being aware of what other people don’t have.”
The Real Deal
Saw itlast night. this is really a chick flick.
Wow Sandra struck gold with this role. She plays a powerful southern gal and does it well! I reccoemend it.
Come on, that little kid was SOOOOOOOO obnoxious! Sandra did really well though and McGraw was kind of a wimpy husband to her strong wife gig.
Moviegoers attuned to the metaphorical nature of film titles can guess that “the Blind Side” of this based-on-a-true-story parable deals with society’s blind side, about poverty in our own country . In this case in the from of an impoverished, hulking African-American athlete born on the wrong side of the tracks
The main fault with Bullock’s lead role is that her character never changes, never experiences moments of doubt or guilt, her giving spirit soon becomes more one of being vain.
Come on, another film that uses whiteys as wholly virtuous saviors, coming to the rescue of African-Americans who then take a back seat in a story that was intended from the start to be about them.
“The Blind Side” is obviously timed as a pre-Thanksgiving-dinner lesson in the Golden Rule. Smart marketing- they’ll need it.
I agree with Keepers, the film’s timing for the holiday season release from a major Hollywood studio,is an obvious marketing tactic.
What is dissappointing however is that Hancock and the filmmakers plays this story straight down the middle, offering little in terms of nuances or complications trading in for maximum uplift that ultimately feels empty.
The line uttered by Bullock
“You’re changing that boy’s life,” one states.
Mrs. Tuohy’s response, of course: “No. He’s changing mine.”
- so cliche and doesnt ring true.
What viewers have to get is that this simply is not a movie about football. It’s about a young kid who happens to be good at football developing into an adult. Writer/director John Lee Hancock’s presentation does well to convey that. The kid could have been a computer programmer or an artist.
“The Blind Side” movie is just middle-class pandering at its most shameless. The studio marketing whizzes probably stood outside shopping malls in middle america to draw attention that this is not a football film about a black youth risies from poverty but more about a well-to do white woman lacking some fulfillment despite having it all materially.
I think the filmmakers do a good job to present that both sides garnered some insights and self-discoveries from the unusual relationship.
But I must add that cartoonish performance by the pipsqueak son was most obnoxious.