The Blind Side 2009

      This film is based on the true story of Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy.  They take in a homeless teenage African-American, Michael Oher.  Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict.  Michael has had little formal education and he has very few skills to help him learn.  Leigh Anne soon takes charge as this is her nature.  She is going to ensure that this young man has every opportunity to succeed.  When he expresses an interest in football, she goes all out to help him.  She finds a coach and gives  him a few ideas on how best to use Michael's skills.  They not only provide him with a loving home but they hire a tutor to help him improve his grades.  He would like to qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship.  As a result of their efforts and Michael’s work, he was the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft.  

     The Blind Side is a formulaic but uplifting family sports drama based on the true story of football player Michael Oher.  It centers on messages about inclusion, the benefits of hard work and the importance of family.  It sometimes feels as if it glosses over many of the challenges that Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy must have faced.  It alludes to the prejudice that exists in certain situations.  Aside from a scene or two, it skirts the main topic instead of truly tackling it?  Some scenes depict characters who are blatantly racist.  Oher's life story is very encouraging.  While language and sexual content are quite mild, you can expect a couple of brief violent scenes, references to drug use and social drinking.  4* (I really liked this movie)

129 min, Biography directed and written by John Lee Hancock and based on a book by Michael Lewis with Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens, Adriane Lenox, Kathy Bates, Catherine Dyer, Andy Stahl, Tom Nowicki, Libby Whittemore, Brian Hollan, Melody Weintraub.

Note:  Imdb 7.6* out of 10* with 195,161 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 66% with 206 critic reviews 85% with 250,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 53 out of 100 with 29 critic reviews, 7.4 out of 10 with 385 user scores, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, 3* out of 5*, age 12+, 2* role models, violence, sex, language, consumerism drinking, drugs & smoking, 3* positive messages, Amazon 4.9* to of 5* with 15,046 reviews.

Special Note:  Collins Tuohy, an A student, rearranged her schedules and dropped out of several advanced placement classes in order to share more classes with Michael and to help him graduate.  When Quinton Aaron auditioned for this film, he was working as a security guard between acting gigs.  After his audition, he left a card with his contact information.  He offered to work as a security guard on the set in case he wasn't selected to play Michael Oher.  Julia Roberts was offered the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy before Sandra Bullock.  Sandra turned down this role three times before changing her mind.  During the first couple of weeks of shooting, Bullock thought her acting was so bad she considered dropping out.  John Lee Hancock had worked so hard on the project and she didn't want to ruin it.  She didn't quit and won the Best Leading Actress Oscar for her performance.  She also took a pay cut to make the film and agreed to a percentage of the film's profits, which turned out to be considerable.

Mistakes:  When coach Phil Fulmer finishes making his presentation to S. J. and Michael, he stands up and says C.J, instead of S.J.  After they make the U-turn to pick up Michael, Sean asks, "Where to?" Leigh Anne points straight-ahead and says, "home".  Home would have been behind them and they would have needed to make another U-turn.  On the History test paper, the question, "Where did the Battle of Waterloo take place?" has been answered (d) Germany and this has been marked.  This is incorrect and the correct answer should have been (c) South of Brussels in Belgium.