The Blind Side

By Jeff Niesel

There are plenty of cringe worthy moments in The Blind Side, a drama based on the true story of how Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a poor young black teen, was taken in by an affluent white family and was able to turn his life around. We see Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) tell her rich white friends that it’s not a matter of how much she’s changed Michael’s life but rather it’s all about how much he’s changed her life. We see Leigh Anne march into the ghetto and tell Michael’s homeboys that they better not mess the guy or they’ll have her to deal with. Hard to say whether that really happened, but these dramatizations can be forgiven because the film’s heart is really in the right place. The Blind Side is a heartwarming film about a guy who beat the odds to not only finish high school but also get into a quality college and become such a standout athlete that he was a first-round pick in last year’s NFL draft. While Aaron is a bit too reserved as the young Oher (his performance is more natural as he plays the older Oher), the acting is solid across the board. Adopting a credible Southern accent, Bullock is terrific as the strong-minded Leigh Anne.