Reviews, Reports + Comments

Monday, February 21, 2011

Review of film: “THE BLIND SIDE”


11-15-09:


Review of film:  “THE BLIND SIDE





Director:

John Lee Hancock.



Writers:

Michael Lewis (book)
John Lee Hancock.


Starring:

Sandra Bullock
Tim McGraw
Quinton Aaron
Jae Head
Lily Collins
Ray McKinnon
Adriane Lenox
Kathy Bates.


MPAA Rating:

Rated PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references.


Quotes:
“Feet as quick as a hiccup.”
“You admit him because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Who thought we’d have BLACK son before we knew a Democrat?!…”


MY Rating: 

8 of 10 stars (based on an advance screening of the film).


CLEAR-SIGHTED view of how to Succeed in America


This is another TRUE story turned into a movie--  but with a sincerely “HOPEFUL” underpinning:

Type “A” personality Leigh Anne Tuohy (SANDRA BULLOCK, in one of her strongest performances ever) is a working woman in the Memphis area, happily married to easygoing, rich fast-food entrepreneur Sean (TIM MCGRAW)…




…  She’s very active in “people” causes, & her daughter Collins (LILY COLLINS) is active on the cheerleading squad of a private high school…

…  The school’s football coach Cotton (RAY MCKINNON) is touted to look at an unusually large ball-playing black kid named Michael Oher (QUINTON AARON), and, although he’s had horribly bad grades, the school is encouraged to let him attend it to help him out in life…



…  In time, Sandra sees that Quinton is virtually HOMELESS (in part because he comes from an extremely poor family whose mother Denise (ADRIANE LENOX) is a drug addict), &, encouraged by her exceptionally-outgoing pre-teen son S.J. (JAE HEAD), she invites him to stay at their place “temporarily”…




…  The “temp” living arrangement quickly becomes increasingly PERMANENT as he is treated like a MEMBER of the Tuohy family.  Sandra & Jae soon work to help Quinton learn how to properly play FOOTBALL, trying to “smoothe out” his non-aggressive tendencies so he can become more “protective” of his team members. ..

…   Helped by Quinton, the team quickly starts to improve, which gets him increasingly “NOTICED” by pro college teams…  Since Sandra & Tim had experienced great times when attending Ole Miss, they tend to “direct” Quinton’s interest towards that school--  &, with the help of tutor Miss Sue (KATHY BATES), they strive to help him with his schoolwork to build up his GRADES (so colleges could recruit him)… 

…  Will that cause the NCAA to start to “notice” that situation?  Will that raise possible problems for various people?…  Will Sandra “back down” when some old-neighborhood toughs start to threaten Quinton & her family?…  Will all the family members really “accept” him?…




…  Overall, while it’s not a “ground-breaking” film, it is a heart-warming story infused with humor & optimism, aided by some FINE performances by the leads mentioned above, particularly Sandra, Jae & Quinton

…  At the end of the film, you can see some photos & video footage of the REAL people involved in the story (including the drafting of Michael by the Baltimore Ravens pro football team in 2009). ..

…  Originally, --  despite what some of its ads implied --, I felt the film  was unlikely to garner any OSCAR® nominations…  But, after an unexpected  groundswell of public interest in the film (which turned it into a huge box-office hit), SANDRA BULLOCK won the OSCAR as Best Actress in a leading role…

  

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