Rated PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references.
Directed by John Lee Hancock (The Alamo and The Rookie)
Starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron and Tim McGraw
If you’ve not heard how great this film is let me welcome you back to Earth.
The movie is based on the true story of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy who take in a homeless, African-American teenager, Michael “Big Mike” Oher. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is addicted to drugs. Leigh Anne soon takes charge, as is her nature, and ensures that Big Mike has every opportunity to succeed. When he expresses an interest in football, she goes all out for help him, including giving the coach a few ideas on how best to use Michael's skills. They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship. Michael Oher is eventually drafted in the first-round by Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft.
One of the biggest issues with The Blind Side is that everyone has an opinion… and they tend to be pretty strong opinions. Some people hated this film and Sandra Bullock for winning the Oscar. Others love it so much it borders on ridiculous. If you are reading this I’ll assume you are interested in my opinion.
So let me begin by saying that very few films live up to their hype. In fact sometimes if a film is hyped up too much, I will skip it all together. But The Blind Side truly is a fantastic, heart-warming film.
As far as Sandra Bullock goes, she does deliver one heck of a performance as the southern belle Leigh Anne Tuohy. While I enjoyed her spitfire scenes where she’s ripping apart the DMV worker or telling the coach how to do his job, it’s the tender moments where she shines. It’s the simple looks or when she holds on to Quinton’s arm as they enter a rough neighborhood that made a lasting impression.
Eventually the hype fades and people will stop talking about the movie, the performances and the Oscars and what will be left is a powerful movie about a true story that will no doubt have an impact on you for a very long time. How do you treat the people around you? Are you sensitive to the needs of others, are you willing to do the right thing even when everyone thinks you are crazy. That’s the message of The Blind Side and it’s that message that makes me give it a Theater worthy score. I loved it.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is one scene that our family skipped through. It is near the end when Michael Oher goes back “home.” The conversation between his “friends” about Leigh Anne gets pretty inappropriate. Remember it is a PG-13 film.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
