Don't Revoke My Reviewer's License, But The Blind Side Is Surprisingly Watchable There is little worse in the world of mainstream film than movies designed to "inspire" or "uplift" through cheesy clichéd tropes of some poor bastard rising above the impossible through sheer pluck and magical, hidden talents. Moreover, when those stories also involve a white woman helping a minority individual to discover this hidden worth inside themselves by getting them off "the streets" and showing them what books are, it's usually not just bad entertainment, it's also offensive, condescending and harmful. Judging by the atrocious Blind Side trailers, I thought I was in for the worst of both those worlds, but, and I can't believe I'm saying this, it's smarter and more self-aware than that, and honestly, not that bad of a movie.

To be fair, it's helped by the fact that it can defend some of its clichés by many of them being based on real people and events (the movie's based on the true story of Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher, in case you hadn't heard). Were this a fictional story, I'd surely complain about a young black man being "saved" by a series of rich white ladies and their Christianity -- and there is a lot of that going on in the movie, at every turn -- but that actually happened, so it's not like they're trying to make some racist statement here by inventing that.

The plot is pretty straightforward. A homeless, parent-less, barely literate teen, "Big Mike," is taken in by a wealthy Memphis family one night when walking down a freezing road without a jacket (their son recognizes him from school), and they take a liking to him and he ends up staying for a long time and being adopted by them. They also teach him how to play football, and being that he is enormous, he ends up being a pretty great tackle, and is eventually recruited by a bunch of great football colleges. In order to make the 2.0 GPA necessary for college admission, Michael's adoptive mother Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) gets him a feisty Southern (but liberal? There's all this Republicans vs. Democrats humor bouncing around in her scenes for some reason) tutor (Kathy Bates), and he struggles and studies hard and gets his grades up and, as we know, gets to go to college, and eventually gets to play in the NFL.

Now, all of that, on paper, sounds like awfully well-worn territory. And though the film does fall into those traps at times (there's a line from the trailer where a bunch of Leigh Anne's snobby rich girlfriends commend her for changing Mike's life, and Leigh Anne gets all teary and proud and says "No. He's changing mine." I want to shoot that line in the face.), it actually shies away from a lot of that groan-worthy convention overall. Michael doesn't become an amazing football player overnight. He has training scenes, not montages. He gets his grades up by working his ass off and getting C's, and really only learns to express himself in English class in the most basic ways possible; he's not a scholar by the end. And though Leigh Anne says Michael's changing her life, there isn't any corny the-homeless-kid-teaches-the-family-how-to-love, and vice versa, in the film. The family is in great shape when Michael comes into their lives, and Michael already knows how to be a good person coming in; he just needs to learn how to read and figure out a career trajectory, and they simply help him with that because they think he's worth their time and kindness. I don't know how it's possible, but the movie's kind of nice, and somehow believable, that way.

And it doesn't hurt that I'm a huge unabashed Sandra Bullock fan, and that Tim McGraw is one of my biggest guilty pleasures (he plays Bullock's husband, and he's just adorable), and that they somehow found a precocious little boy to play their son who is actually funny and didn't make me want to claw my eyes out, but this movie is more than a Hallmark film. I can't say I'd ever go out of my way to watch it again, but I have no ill will towards it, and considering the trailer and plot, that is a true testament to the direction and performances. Take your mom to see it -- it may be your last chance at a heartwarming story that won't make you barf for a while.

13 Comments

November 20, 2009 1:03 PM
Mary
Reply

It's rated PG-13 -- anyone have insight as to exactly why? I am curious because my 9-year-old wants to see the movie but PG-13s are usually off-limits. There are certain things I can overlook or talk her through but other things that I would like to avoid altogether. If it's just language I can let that slide.

November 20, 2009 1:46 PM
synergy
Reply

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

November 20, 2009 4:56 PM
fayebond
Reply

finally, a movie involving football whose plot involves more than football!

November 20, 2009 6:43 PM
katie
Reply

if you ever want to know why something has the rating it does, both the Netflix website and IMBD have excellent Parent Guides, and they tell you exactly what is in almost any movie you can think of.

November 20, 2009 10:10 PM
katie
Reply

if you ever want to know why something has the rating it doesor if it's appropriate for your child, etc., both the Netflix website and IMBD have excellent Parent Guides, and they tell you exactly what is in most movies.

November 21, 2009 9:56 AM
Craig
Reply

"I want to shoot this line in the face." I want to buy this line a beer! Great review, Mindy!

November 21, 2009 1:49 PM
Cate
Reply

There's one fight scene in the movie where a gun goes off. As over protective as I am, I'd be okay taking my nine-year-old to see it. It's a great, great movie.

November 21, 2009 5:23 PM
Chris
Reply

The book is amazing, uplifting and highly educational. It's by Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball. And while the movie looks good, from the trailer it appears they've dramatized the novel some. And I'm reasonably sure the novel is already dramatized some.

Either way, this story is ridiculously heart-warming and awesome.

November 22, 2009 8:27 PM
alice
Reply

i just saw the film with my youth group and cannot imagine why it was rated pg13. there might be a bit of rough language, but not a whole lot. the trailers before the film were the 'omg' blushing moments.

November 25, 2009 3:38 PM
trace
Reply

Crap. I told my mom I'd only go see this with her if it got decent reviews. Curse you, Mindy!

November 29, 2009 9:56 PM
Nette
Reply

The actor who played the little brother almost ruined the movie for me. He was like an even more annoying Lipnicki and I kept hoping someone would punt him through the nearest goalposts. The rest was OK.

November 30, 2009 7:28 AM
Skycatacher
Reply

Enjoyed this movie a lot, but agree, it's probably not worth a second trip. Totally agree with Nette about the kid. I think I'd have wrapped him [i]around[/i] the goalposts. At least he wasn't a "fat kid". Why are all the boys that age, on TV and in movies, fat???
PG-13 - I suspect it's because there's a scene where Mike runs away and returns to the 'hood. He sits down with old gangbanger friends, and they speak [i]very crudely[/i] about his new sister, as well as some violence/gun play at the end of that particular scene.

December 29, 2009 6:19 PM
Anonymous
Reply

humiliating and belittling i will never watch it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Loading...

Add a comment

BLOG ARCHIVES

The Moviefile

February 2010

6 Entries

January 2010

19 Entries

December 2009

15 Entries

November 2009

21 Entries

October 2009

27 Entries

September 2009

30 Entries

August 2009

28 Entries

July 2009

34 Entries

June 2009

27 Entries

May 2009

24 Entries

April 2009

23 Entries

March 2009

18 Entries

February 2009

30 Entries

January 2009

56 Entries

December 2008

51 Entries

November 2008

61 Entries

October 2008

102 Entries

September 2008

86 Entries

August 2008

99 Entries

July 2008

116 Entries

June 2008

95 Entries

May 2008

86 Entries

April 2008

67 Entries

March 2008

14 Entries

Blog Categories

Accidents Do Happen

42 Entries

Box Office Tally

55 Entries

Coming Soonish

7 Entries

Cool Nerds Guide

2 Entries

DVDs Unwrapped

22 Entries

Foreign Relations

33 Entries

Girls on Film

51 Entries

I Voted for GORE!

82 Entries

I Want My DVD

65 Entries

IMDb Fun Times

1 Entries

It's a Major Award!

41 Entries

Legal Eaglese

18 Entries

Martial Artistry

8 Entries

Momentous Occasions

22 Entries

More On Movies

0 Entries

Musicalifornication

38 Entries

Sci-Fidelity

101 Entries

Separate but Sequel

199 Entries

Strike Watch

14 Entries

The Biz

115 Entries

The Casting Conch

167 Entries

The Kongs of Comedy

130 Entries

Top of the

0 Entries

Top of the MWoP

4 Entries

Trailer Trashing

56 Entries

We Call Do-Over

148 Entries

You Know, For Kids!

94 Entries