The Blind Side (2009) is a beautiful movie directed by John Lee Hancock that tells the story of a boy, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), as he endures struggles with family, school, and football.
This movie originally was a book named The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, written by Michael Lewis and initially published in 2006. This film has earned various awards, such as the Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe for Best Actress, Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, Teen Choice Award for Movie, and Best Sports Movie ESPY award. They also have nominations like the Academy Award for Best Picture, the MTV Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and many more. These awards and nominations are very well deserved, which is apparent while watching this film.
The movie opens with the film play of Washington Commanders (formerly known as Washington Redskins) quarterback Joe Theismann and his career-ending injury. It goes second by second through the play as Lawernce Taylor goes to tackle him and simultaneously ends his career. This scene opens the movie as an introduction to the player Michael Oher will grow to be. With his big size dominating the court, he also has the power to injure someone beyond repair.
The movie travels through Michael’s life as he goes from being homeless to being surrounded by family and support. Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) is the woman who takes Michael Oher into her home, thinking it would be a temporary fix. As the family becomes fond of him and Leigh Anne takes more care of him, they realize this may be more of a permanent arrangement. The family gives Michael his own room and even places him into the football program at their high school. Seeing as Michael has never played football, it takes a bit of navigating and motivation from Leigh Anne.
The main problem that Michael runs into is his grades. After dominating as an offensive tackler in high school football games, he had offers from every college imaginable. Colleges like LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina were all asking him to participate in their program. However, Leigh Anne found out he needed a 2.5 GPA, which proved difficult because he only had a 1.76. Through the support of his newfound family and tutor Sue Mitchell (Kathy Bates), he raises his GPA enough to accept offers from the colleges.
Although lots of problems arise, he learns new lessons through it all. The turning point in this movie comes when he drives his new brother, S.J. (Jae Head), and they crash. Michael throws his arm in front of the airbag, injuring himself to protect his brother. Leigh Anne tries to erase Michael’s guilt, telling him he is truly a part of this family and did the right thing protecting S.J.
The cinematography throughout this film is beautiful – the different colors they used to convey messages worked perfectly for the audience’s appeal. The warm tones they put throughout the house bring the feeling of being at home.
While their costumes are typical clothes, they do a great job of displaying each character’s personality. Michael doesn’t know who he is nor where he stands in his new family, and his clothes find a way to convey that. With different patterns and untraditional “nice” shirts, the audience sees Michaels’ standing and personality. His style is entirely different from the rest of the family, who are in nicer clothes since they are used to their more privileged lifestyle.
The Blind Side has an incredible story with a stellar cast that is amazing to watch for anyone. While I recommend this for people over 13, it is a fantastic film overall with many different and valuable lessons.
