A Review of the Blind Side

Michael Oher has been in and out of foster homes for 17 years. One of Michael's caretakers manages to convince a Christian school football coach that Michael is a natural athlete in order to enroll him in school. Michael befriends SJ, who is the son of Leigh Anne Tuohy. They spot him walking in the cold one night, and Leigh invites Michael over to stay the night. The next morning, as Michael is walking out of the house, Leigh invites him for Thanksgiving. Michael's grades are extremely low, and Leigh goes to the school to discuss his academic performance. She is surprised to learn that Michael scored low in everything except for "protective instincts". Leigh gets Michael enrolled in the football team, and as he shows exceptional promise, she hires a tutor to get his grades up in order to receive a NCAA scholarship, which requires that one have a 2.5 GPA. Michael eventually ends up with a 2.52 GPA. However, suspicion arises when NCAA officials suspect that the Tuohys forced Michael to accept a scholarship to Mississippi because the entire family are benefactors of the school. Michael goes to find his birth mother and a fight ensues with his neighbors after they make sexual remarks about his adoptive mother. Michael calls Leigh and she supports his decision to go to any college. The movie ends with a clip of the real Michael Oher getting drafted into the NFL by the Baltimore Ravens.

The Good

The Blind Side is a very powerful, moving story of how a young adult who begins with nothing becomes one of the NFL's most valuable members. The movie takes on similar characteristics to a "feel-good" movie. There is well-placed and well-played humor, and an exceptional performance by Sandra Bullock. Not only does Bullock portray a character that is very much fleshed out and complete, but also, she accomplishes such a feat in a tasteful and appealing way.

The Bad

Neglecting the strong performance by Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Touhy and the rather touching story, the movie doesn't quite touch on some of the more important themes in the story, one of the most important being race. One should ask - why is it that Michael Oher was chosen, out of all the troubled young adults in the world, by a wealthy white family, and not another? And as Michael's mother is still alive, does that justify Leigh's "saintly" decision to take Michael in and adopt him? Did Leigh decide to take care of and nurture Michael because, as a football-obsessed family, they figured that he might have potential in making it in the football team at Ole Miss? Many questions remain unanswered, which is why the lacking details prohibit The Blind Side from becoming a critically acclaimed movie.