By Alex Kartman
for MovieSet.com
Football season naturally is the perfect time to release football films. There have been good ones (“Remember the Titans” and “Friday Night Lights,”) but for every good there are several bad ones (“Longest Yard” and “The Replacements” to start). Every so often there is a so called football film that ignores the sport and focuses on relationships and life. The last great one like this was “Jerry Maguire” but last week “The Blind Side” opened in theaters. Does it transcend the jock genre or remain cliché without ingenuity?
“The Blind Side” finds a middle ground between the possible extremes. It does transcend the genre by focusing on human relations rather than the brutally exciting sport. The film focuses on the orphaned Michael Oher played by Quinton Aaron, and the relationship that develops between him and a mother who takes him in, Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock). The bond between these two becomes believably loving and strong.
Synopsis
Touhy takes Michael into her family after seeing him walk alone along a deserted road in the freezing cold; what an empowered, or incredibly stupid, woman. Michael is a 6’8” or more, monster of an African American teenager, who has the opportunity to attend a local catholic high school in Memphis, TN. Touhy helps to turn Michael’s life around through mentoring and just giving him a loving envirionment.
Everntually he is able to play football, and evolves into an incredible left offensive tackle. For those who don’t know the game, that is a lineman who blocks the blind side of the quarterback. He is so good, that powerhouse college football programs begin recruiting him, and thus the fight begins to sign Michael. It is fun to see several college coaches from the southern schools make cameos in the film. After everything settles down, the NCAA begins investigating Michael and the Toughy family for unethical recruiting practices to get him to go to their alma mater. This investigation causes the viewer to question what the whole moral of the film is. It is a very risky conflict to toss into the movie as it seems to be nearing its end, but doing soul searching you realize what the truth of the theme is.
Acting
The acting from Bullock to Aaron to the country singer Tim McGraw is all around very good. I was surprised at the talent that Bullock exhibits. Usually she doesn’t have strong roles, but she fills the role of a strong willed and emotionally powerful woman very well. Think a white Oprah with a southern drawl. Tim McGraw as the husband is a well cast support to Bullock, although he seems to only provide the money for the family. She really wears the pants in the relationship. I want to know where the casting director found Quinton Aaron. As a giant teddy bear, he is spectacular at emoting through his eyes rather than in any other action. It is hard not to find a soft spot for the man in your heart.
Analysis
Beyond the story and the acting, this is a very by the numbers populous, feel-good film. The camera work is average at best. Not one shot stands out as epic or ingenious. Along with that, the opening set up scene really is not well written or imaginative. It feels stale to me and doesn’t set up what the focus of the film is. That said, the film is based on the Michael Lewis book by the same title, so it could be that it stayed close to the source material. I cannot be sure on this because I haven’t read the book.
The human element here makes this a much better film than it would have been if the focus was elsewhere. The film gives a great slice of life look at the importance of football to the southern American Culture, even showing how much it overtakes Thanksgiving dinner. The characters breathe and feel realistic and even when the football games do play out, they remain grounded, with little focus on the game itself. It always is about the evolution of Michael as a player. That focus makes this a very inspiring film to check out someday.
Grade: B
Behind the Scenes video from ‘The Blind Side’ with Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw
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