A towering black man in shoulder pads and fearsome boots, helmet swinging from his hand like a gigantic mallet, is not the most formidable force in the picture.
It’s the tiny blonde woman on his left with her hand on his back, like a mother with a toddler, who is obviously in charge.
A towering black man in shoulder pads and fearsome boots, helmet swinging from his hand like a gigantic mallet, is not the most formidable force in the picture.
It’s the tiny blonde woman on his left with her hand on his back, like a mother with a toddler, who is obviously in charge.
The Blind Side, directed by John Lee Hancock and based on a book by Michael Lewis is the story of a young black man from a disadvantaged background with an incredible talent.
Michael Oher, played by Quinton Aaron, has been in foster care for most of his life. A friend’s father, on whose couch he’s been sleeping, convinces the headmaster of Wingate Christian School to accept him as a student.
Misunderstood and deemed incapable of learning, he does badly. When he begins to feel a burden on his temporary foster family he leaves on a rainy night with only the clothes on his back.
The rich and football-loving Tuohy family, Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock), Sean (Tim McGraw), and their son SJ (Jae Head), happen to drive past after a school festival and the feisty Leigh Anne’s motherly instincts kick in.
Michael is invited to stay on the family couch and Leigh Anne begins a crusade to find out about the large, lonely boy she found on the road.
As Michael begins to come out of his shell Leigh Anne makes an incredible discovery: although his grades are low he scores on the 98th percentile for protective instincts, making him the ideal offensive lineman, whose job it is to protect the quarter back’s blind side.
Never one to sit by quietly, Leigh Anne gets involved in his training and schooling every step of the way, interfering in his practice sessions and hiring a tutor, Miss Sue (Kathy Bates), to keep his grades up.
Even his reluctant foster sister Collins (Lily Collins) begins to warm to him. As Michael’s life gets more complicated with a rising football career and a whole new family to fit in with, doubts begin to creep in.
Sandra Bullocks’ performance as the bossy but deeply caring Leigh Anne is convincing and inspiring as she becomes a mother to a lost child.
Family values and unconditional love are the underlying themes of this movie, and it leaves you with a full heart and teary eyes.
The Blind Side has won six awards including an Academy award and a Golden Globe, both best actress awards for Bullock’s performance. The Blind Side will be showing from today at Roxbury Cinema.
