RECENT VIEWINGS: The Blind Side

The Blind Side (Hancock, 2009) is not a film for the cynical, so leave that mindset in the minivan upon arrival at the multiplex. It is unabashedly happy-ending and relentless positive, a prototypical feel-good movie.  And while standard conventions are adhered to and audience expectations met, The Blind Side still feels surprising--probably because its components work so well and with almost refreshing straightforwardness. A disadvantaged, bulky African-American teenager, Michael Oher (Quiton Aaron), is welcomed into the lives of an upper-class white family by the mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock).  She discovers his potential as a football star and encourages the talent as she embraces him as a member of her family. Critics have noted that the premise, while based-on-a-true-story, feels very much like another cinematic example of self-congratulatory back-patting for white folks. Perhaps there is no escaping a hint of that. The film seems to emphasize class differences and acts of kindness rather than racial dispartities, however, and does so in a manner glossy but at least emotionally authentic. The film is just as concerned with Leigh Anne as it is Michael, though, as her motivations are slowly uncovered along the way to a warm resolution. The Blind Side may fail the Oher character slightly as it creates a dynamic star turn for Sandra Bullock. Yet the final, simple message of love and protection succeeds precisely because the funny, frank Bullock performance (very much a studio-era star throwback; even the spot-on hair, make-up and wardrobe feels like a modern interpretation of a classic approach) pulls everything in The Blind Side sharply together.