The Blind Side

Without doubt, “The Blind Side” is one of the best dramatic films of ‘09. It tells the real life story of Michael Oher, an oversized pro football player with a troubled childhood. The film focuses on his teenage years, when he gets adopted by an extremely munificent family and they help pave the way for a good college and a career in football. The cast, and especially the Oscar-winning Sandra Bullock, did an incredible job portraying the various characters. While this is based on a true story, it is obvious that lots of parts were left out of it. The entire yarn is so completely sugarcoated it gets pretty banal. But, if you let it, the movie does a very good job of warming the heart.

What really makes “Blind Side” worth its ticket price is its incredible cast. Sandra Bullock is one of Hollywood’s best actresses of all time, and it really shows when you watch her in her more emotional scenes of the film. She won an Oscar for her performance in “The Blind Side,” and she most definitely deserved it. But I won’t shortchange the rest of the cast. Quinton Aaron played Michael Oher, and he pulled off the character nicely. Tim McGraw was a strange, but apparently wise choice to play Bullock’s husband. Jae Head played Bullock’s son, S.J., and he is a very talented little actor. He made his debut in 2008’s “Hancock,” and he will almost certainly do well.

Having a good cast in a film is essential, but what really makes a movie first-rate is having a high-quality story to go with it. By all means, the story in “Blind Side” is top-notch, but it doesn’t seem quite accurate. As this is based on a true story, it would seem that there would be all kinds of real-life themes, and plenty of hardships to go around. This is not the case. I’m sure that there were plenty of events that the film just left out, because I don’t seem to remember the world being happy and perfect just 20-some years ago. All throughout the movie our characters run into problems, but they miraculously find their way out with ease, while simultaneously portraying all humans as wonderful and selfless creatures who love to help people. It’s a sugarcoated world, but if you’re not too cynical about it, you can still sit back and enjoy the great show that is “The Blind Side.”

There is no doubt that “The Blind Side” is one of the greatest movies of the year. All of the dramatis personae involved were very good actors. Especially Sandra Bullock, who completely stole the show. The story seemed unrealistic due to unnecessary sugarcoating of the real events, but it was still a deep, heartwarming ride. “Blind Side” is definitely worth seeing, and even buying. It deserves 9 out of 10 stars. It will restore your faith in humanity, however temporarily.