The Blind Side Reviews

Beforehand, I wasn't expecting much from this flick but since it was a huge success at the box-office and was nominated for several academy awards, I thought I should check it out. Eventually, I thought it was a decent sport drama based on a true story but not much more than that, I'm afraid. I mean, even though the directing was solid and the actors were all right, it never challenged the rules of the genre and there was, above all, a terrible lack of nuances. For example, even though Michel Oher was supposed to be the hero of this tale, he was portrayed as completely clueless throughout the whole thing and, apparently he would have never been successful without the help of several white people (the school teacher, Sandra Bullock, his 'white' brother, his 'white' sister, his tutor, even the clueless coach stood up for him during the game,...). At the same time, none of the black people did provide any help whatsoever (the youth in his old neighborhood were all gangsters-like type, his biological mother was a crack addict, his brother that we meet didn't even have any dialogue, the black man who gave him shelter at first eventually threw him out, even the woman at the end during the interrogation was black,...). I'm not saying that it was a racist movie, of course not, but it was definitely not subtle. It is like the main character, Michael Oher. He was portrayed like some helpless Forrest Gump figure when he was actually the one who came from nothing and became a NFL player. As a matter of fact, the real Michael Oher knew very well how to play football and was definitely not some kind of retarded. I could go on and on about this but those things are pretty much inherent to this genre and this movie was not a bad example but just a typical one. And what about Sandra Bullock? I have to admit it, it was indeed one of her better performances but it was still nothing really mind-blowing. Still, in spite of its flaws, it remains a decent sport drama dealing with some decent people who all try to do the right thing and, if you are into this kind of stuff, it is definitely enjoyable. To conclude, I do think it is rather overrated but it is still worth a look though, especially if you like the genre.

I'm still a bit shocked of seeing a so barbie-like Sandra Bullock but I've been very touched by this story.
If I had to find something wrong maybe this movie missed some very little elements to be perfect...but maybe it is beacause this takes from a true story, anche true life is never perfect!!!

One of the movies that I wanna keep watchin', I love the story,.this made me realize how somebody else could turn someone's life from nothin' into something huge.

A very nice and touching story

Well, I was gob-smacked when it was announced that The Blind Side took a Best Picture nomination instead of Invictus! It just didn't seem like Oscar Best Picture material at all and now after watching it, I just don't see why it was nominated. I mean, it was an enjoyable film but no way did this deserve that much credit especially over a film by Clint Eastwood!! The best credit I can give The Blind Side is that it is an inspiring true story that would have and did turn out a good film. Another slight problem I did have was that the American football game did make enough sense for me to enjoy the games because I just had no clue what was going on. Just by looking at the poster, it is a VERY American film! It seemed like something Disney would make but Disney are better than that!


The Blind Side tells the story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family. Sandra Bullock has been a yo-yo actress her whole career where she would be good and where she would be bad. Now, for her performance in The Blind Side, it was good but how in the flying FUCK did she win Screen Actor Guild Award for Best Leading Actress, Golden Globe for Best Actress Drama and most shockingly the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress?! Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan and even Gabourney Sibide deserved it more than Sandra Bullock especially after she won a Razzie the night before. I mean, yeah they're different films but winning the worst and the best award in 2 nights is just shocking! So, Bullock was good but not brilliant like the others were. I liked Quinton Aaron's performance as Michael Oher. He had that innocence to him but had quite a dark side as well that we do see as the film progresses. I tell you one underrated performance in this film was from Jae Head who plays SJ (the young son of the family). He made me laugh on some occasions and played the character really well. As far as Lilly Collins goes who plays Collins Tuohy, we may not have seen her very much in the film but DAMN she is HOT!


Weird that director John Lee Hancock previously did The Alamo which didn't succeed very well and then does The Blind Side that got a Best Picture nomination (unbeknownst to us). I think if he made it epic and emotional enough for the audience, it would have deserved the Best Picture nomination but it wasn't quite epic or emotional enough. I wouldn't call The Blind Side a family film but I would call it friendly enough for 10+ year old kids to watch.


Overall, The Blind Side is an enjoyable film that is entertaining but unfortunately overhyped by the Academy and robbed Invictus and others. It's not all about the American football like it seems like to be from the poster.

wow! that was a great movie! AWESOME!

Baseado na não-ficção homônima de Michael Lewis, a improvável história de Michael Oher passa por dois momentos definitivos: o pai de um amigo convence o treinador de um tradicional colégio cristão a matricular os meninos para aproveitar seus dotes como esportistas; é lá estudam os filhos da família Tuohy, que viria a ser sua futura família.

Sandra Bullock está incorrigível no papel da matriarca Leigh Anne, ex-líder de torcida, sulista, republicana, esposa de um jogador de basquete aposentado e dono de uma cadeia de franquias. Tim McGraw, que já atuou em outro drama de futebol americano Friday Night Lights(2004), faz o marido cúmplice e carismático, que apóia a decisão de Leigh Anne em abrigar o famigerado e sem-teto Big Mike numa noite fria, e todas as que se seguiram. É a família Tuohy, aficionada por esportes, que impulsiona Michael a aperfeiçoar seu talento para o futebol quando ele nem conseguia assimilar as regras do jogo.

Sem grandes reviravoltas mas nem por isso menos envolvimento e torcida por
parte do espectador, John Lee Hancock opta por não explorar visualmente a infância traumática com a mãe viciada em drogas e passagens por lares adotivos, essas informações são entregues em diálogos, deixando espaço para a emocionante jornada de Mike a partir de sua entrada como semianalfabeto em Wingate, uma batalha acadêmica para garantir uma bolsa de estudos em uma faculdade com objetivo de jogar profissionalmente ao comovente epílogo com imagens reais da entrega do prêmio da NFL(National Football League) concedido ao blind side do Baltimore Ravens, Michael Oher.

O título “The Blind Side” na linguagem futebolística se refere a posição tackle à esquerda, com o objetivo de proteger o lado onde o atacante, que está de costas não enxerga, o lado cego. Por aqui “Um Sonho Possível”(2009) supera qualquer preconceito seja com Sandra Bullock ou a temática do futebol americano, é um filme bem edificado, emocionante, correto e com toda a bagagem de otimismo e motivacional que histórias de sorte e superação podem nos proporcionar.

"The left tackle's job is to protect the quarterback from what he can't see coming. To protect his blind side."

2009 will stand as a defining year for Sandra Bullock. First there was the awful yet mysteriously successful The Proposal, followed by the misguided farce All About Steve which was dumped into cinemas after being delayed by a year (for which the actress earned a Razzie award for Worst Actress). In the shadow of these movies arrives The Blind Side, featuring Bullock in a performance that earned her an Academy Award. Armed with a too-good-to-be-true inspirational tale, The Blind Side was created with two goals: to shamelessly move an audience, and to snag Bullock an Oscar. Needless to say, a film of this sort requires a deft touch in order for it to work, but such talent eludes writer-director John Lee Hancock and his cast who ladle on sentiment with the subtlety of a bazooka. The movie is, quite simply, pure Hollywood fluff, and the fact it earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture is one of the most insulting decisions of recent memory.

The Blind Side is loosely based on a sports book of the same name by Michael Lewis, which detailed the rise to prominence of the Left Tackle position in professional football. The movie's prime narrative aim was to tell a Hollywoodised version of the story of Michael Oher (Aaron); an NFL pro who started out as a near-homeless African-American teenager, and whose life is turned around when a local family, the Tuohys, decide to essentially adopt him. Naturally, the fact that Michael is black and his adoptive family are white is the movie's "hook".

In essence, the entire story here seems to be more of a caricature than an accurate portrayal of a true story. The Blind Side gives lip service to the sports-history context, but opts to concentrate on Oher's story without actually concentrating on the man himself. John Lee Hancock has instead reworked the story into a star vehicle for Bullock, whose hard-charging Leigh Anne is shown off, admired and allowed to steal every scene. As a matter of fact, Oher is more or less incidental to a story that's framed less around him and more around the family that adopts him and pushes him to success. Oher is a spectre in his own tale: a one-dimensional "big lug with a heart" caricature whose sole purpose in the narrative is to make his benefactors feel better about themselves. The narrative may concern Oher's life being turned around, but the story is about how encountering Michael made his adoptive mother a more enlightened, socially-aware human being. What the fuck?!

All of The Blind Side's many other sins - the trite, artificial sentiment, the generic structure, and the overall "feel-good" aura of the whole enterprise - could be forgiven if only it was effective, but it's about as effective as run-of-the-mill, sanitised Disney fluff (which is hardly surprising, since Hancock is also responsible for The Rookie). The film never ventures below the surface - Hancock shows a series of kind acts but never delves into the ramifications of the actions of the Tuohys or explores more complicated socioeconomic issues. It's clear that Oher's early life, with a crack-addict mother and an absentee father, must have been very difficult, but these powerful aspects of the story are glossed over in favour of a more conventional movie for easier mass consumption. What's more unforgivable is the out-of-nowhere "what the fuck?!" scenes featuring events that never happened but are included for the sake of formula. At one stage, for instance, Oher defeats a bunch of neighbourhood crack dealers using his bare hands even though they all have guns. It's like something out of a Jason Statham action movie. Later on, Bullock's Leigh Anne goes all Erin Brokovich on the same crack dealers, and defeats them through sheer force of word. Added to this, there are several embarrassingly cheesy moments that seem directly lifted from Disney movies.

Playing Michael Oher, Quinton Aaron's performance is understated and appealing. But alas, this is Sandra Bullock's movie, and though it's her best work as an actress to date, it's still not worth an Oscar. More or less a surface impersonation than anything truly profound, Bullock's turn as Leigh Anne was obviously played to garner Oscar consideration because she not only steals her scenes but also eats the scenery. It's a self-serving performance which undercuts the story's potential power, as the spotlight frequently shifts to Bullock and away from Aaron whenever they share a scene, which is often. The fact Bullock earned an Oscar for this performance is downright disgraceful - there's absolutely nothing about it that makes it anything but ordinary.

With the myriad of criticisms in mind, it'd be fair to point out the aspects that are done right. To director Hancock's credit, the movie is not excruciating - it's easy to watch, well-assembled and the soundtrack is pleasant. From a technical standpoint, this is a home run. The problem with Hancock's approach, however, is it sorely lacks grit. In this way, The Blind Side is Precious for a family-friendly audience. While Lee Daniels' Precious was gritty and grimy, The Blind Side is firmly in PG-13 territory, meaning everything is toned down. By eluding the deeper issues of the tale, Hancock has only crafted a feel-good, crowd-pleasing quick-hit aimed at the mass market. While it may be serviceable in this way, it's frustrating to consider what the source material could've been in defter hands.

4.3/10

This was probably the best feel good movie that I have seen this year. It is made even better by the fact that it is based on real characters. The message in the story it great and it makes you realize that we can make a difference in people's lives. This was a great movie for the whole family to watch. Don't get fooled by thinking this is a football movie. Football is a part of the story, but it isn't what drives the movie. It is about the human spirit.

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