When looking at a biographic picture it can become easy to judge it by the accuracy of the events depicted rather than just by the quality of the film itself. For instance Hidalgo is a rollicking good adventure story that doesn’t have a lick of reality to it. Does that make it a bad film? No. A wise man once said we don’t go to the movies to get a history lesson and I tend to agree with that. The Blind Side fudges a lot of the true details of Michael Oher’s time with the Tuohy family including showing them legally adopt him when in reality they only secured a conservatorship over him, one that he had to fight them in court to get released from. That conservatorship was used to profit from his name including profits from this movie. Knowing this beforehand tainted my original viewing of the movie and made it hard for me to divorce myself from the realities and look at this film without any prejudices. Revisiting it after fifteen years I was able to finally get past that and just examine the film as if it were a complete work of fiction and the difference in viewing experiences was immense.
Seventeen year old Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) has lived a rough life bouncing in and out of foster care after his mother lost custody because of her drug addiction. Every time he is placed with a foster family he runs away, returning back to his mother who lives in the projects of Memphis, Tennessee. His friend’s father, in an attempt to get his own son into Wingate Christian School, brings Michael along and sells the two to the head coach as a package deal banking on Michael’s size and athleticism to get the two in. It works but Michael brings with him poor grades and an apparent learning disability. At the school Mike makes friends with a much younger student, S.J. (Jae Head). He also struggles with his school tests until one of his teachers discovers that he is absorbing the material but has problems with the tests themselves. With some modifications in the testing process his grades begin to improve.
While walking in the cold, Michael is seen by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), S.J.’s mother, as she drives home with the rest of her family. They pull over and, discovering Mike has no place to stay and is freezing, offer to take him home and give him a place to spend the night. As time goes by Mike slowly becomes part of the family. His grades improve enough for him to play football for the school and, with some help from Leigh Anne, he becomes a star player attracting the attention of college scouts. With the help and compassion of the Tuohy family, Mike is able to escape his upbringing and make something of himself.
If there is a legitimate complaint that can be launched at The Blind Side, aside from the liberties taken with the facts, it’s that the Tuohy family is portrayed a little too perfectly. S.J. is the quintessential spunky young kid that’s not only extremely outgoing but also business savvy and not afraid to meet adults head-on. When Mike is meeting with the college scouts S.J. is right next to him negotiating privileges for himself within the offers. Collins Tuohy (Lily Collins), S.J.’s older sister, is instantly accepting of Michael into the household and doesn’t care that she’s facing ridicule from her classmates at school. The father, Sean Sr (Tim McGraw), never argues with his wife about taking Michael in, having seen him previously after a volleyball game at the school scrounging for leftover bags of popcorn. Lastly, Leigh Anne is depicted as a very well to do suburban mother who is instantly able to look at Mike and see that this hulk of a young man is really just a gentle giant. She will, in very short order, be willing to invest time and money into helping him, even venturing into some dangerous parts of town for him. She does all the legwork needed to get him a driver’s license and even buys him a new truck. When he almost immediately gets in a wreck with S.J. In the passenger seat, she is remarkably calm and understanding about the whole thing.
Sandra Bullock goes a long way towards helping sell this virtual saint of a character. Bullock has a brassiness to her that quells some of the over-the-top aspects to Leigh Anne. The more confrontational moments are a bit too much like when she is having lunch with her friends and ends up telling them all off for their closed minded attitudes towards Michael living with her family; But the quieter moments really shine. Leigh Anne has a scene where she is overwhelmed by her realization of just how little Michael has had in his life, never even having a bed before. She leaves him in his new room, retreats to an adjoining room and just collapses into a chair, troubled by these thoughts. Not a word is said but plenty is conveyed. It’s all in her face and Bullock sells those thoughts with her eyes and subtle expressions.
Quinton Aaron delivers an eye opening performance here, too. For much of the early scenes he remains nearly expressionless and mute. He’s a closed off individual who has had no one look out for him. His only relation has been his mother who is unable to do anything for him. He’s so deprived of any real attention that he doesn’t know what to do with it when he gets it. On his first day with the Tuohy’s it’s Thanksgiving Day. The family dishes up food and sits around the TV watching football. Mike, sneaks an extra role for later, then takes his plate and sits at the dinner table by himself. Leigh Anne sees this and shuts the game off to only superficial protests, forcing the family to eat at the table instead, including Mike in the festivities. He’s a quite young man but it’s obvious he’s soaking up the families vibes.
Towards the end of the film the Tuohy’s motives for taking Michael in come into question. This becomes the only moment in the entire film where there is any strife between him and his adoptive family. Mike has chosen to attend Ole’ Miss, the Tuohy’s alma matter, and play for their football team. This opens up an investigation into their family and an investigator for the NCAA insinuates Mike was selected and groomed by the Tuohy family specifically to play ball for their team. This comes abruptly near the end of the film and Mike runs away from the interrogation and from his family. This happens so abruptly that there is not enough time to dedicate to this insinuation and it ends up resolved too quickly.
Flaws aside, this is a heart warming story about an underprivileged individual given an opportunity to elevate himself out of a situation that so many people growing up in the projects can’t escape. It’s a rags to riches story that is sure to inspire others to be good samaritans, too, especially with the added bonus of being based on a true story. Michael Oher is a true legend in the NFL who would have never gotten there had he not had a family behind him pushing him to better himself. As a movie it is entertaining and thought provoking. As a true depiction of the actual events it is less so, but as I said earlier, don’t go to the movies for a history lesson. Go to be uplifted and entertained.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove, and Broderick Johnson
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (won)
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Release Date: November 20, 2009
Running Time: 126 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron and Kathy Bates
Directed By: John Lee Hancock
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