Oscar-winners Sandra Bullock and Kathy Bates and country singing star Tim McGraw headline this deeply moving adaptation of the Michael Lewis bestseller about a young man whose size and prowess playing American-style football help him attain an education in school and in life.
The first thing that hit us about this movie was how we can be so self absorbed in the little drama’s within our own lives, that we often forget to appreciate the little things, like a bed of our own.
Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael’s legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs.
Michael’s tremendous size and protective instincts make him a formidable force on the gridiron, and with help from his new family and devoted tutor, he realises his potential as a student and football player.
Newcomer Quinton Aaron portrays the oversized teenager transformed from a homeless street kid to a star athlete through the kindness and charity of dynamic Leigh Anne (Bullock) who offers him a stable home, a caring family and the opportunity to follow his dreams.
When we first meet him, Michael is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to drugs; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or how to read or write. He takes up football and school, after a rich, white, Evangelical family plucks him from the streets.
Great forces alter Michael: the first is Leigh Anne’s motherly love.
Then there is the evolution of professional football itself into a game where the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist becomes the priceless package of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback’s greatest vulnerability, his blind side.
What is the blind side? In American football, the general on the field is a 6ft 15 stone man who throws the ball, the quarterback, and he usually earns $10-$20m a year. When the quarterback plays he has 10 other team mates on the field. Out of the 10, there are 5 who are there for the quarterback to use as options to give the ball to.
The other 5 are there to protect the quarterback until he has passed the ball. If you pass the ball from your right arm, then your left side is essentially your backside, the blindside = it is from where somebody can tackle you before you see him. If you do not want your prize possession knocked out of the game then you better protect him with your biggest and best.
Michael Oher is now that man, and as such you may have to pay him a lot of money $5-10m a year.
Tim McGraw takes the role of the supportive and loving husband who discovers the boy’s talent.
Kathy Bates plays the young man’s strict tutor in this riveting, heartfelt true story directed by John Lee Hancock.
Not only does this movie illustrate the true meaning of family, but also does a great job of showing the “second chance” opportunity for the main character Micheal. From being a homeless teenager to one of the biggest names in football history, Michael’s story is an inspiration to many.
Rating: 8/10
Christ & Co.
