The Blind Side

Rating: 2/4 (A watchable emotional sports drama set in the Christian South.)

There are some American movies which I think I will never be able to understand or empathize with. The Blind Side for example, which I watched recently at a screening at the university. The movie is a 2009 sports-drama, starring Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron. Oher (Quinton) is a 16-year old giant of an African-American who seems to have slipped through the cracks of American society. With some luck he ends up at a Christian school, but with no prior schooling he seems to be losing even this tiny sliver of hope. This is when he is discovered by Anne (Sandra Bullock) who takes him into her own family and helps him chart out his career. With her dogged determination and help from his teachers, coach and a private tutor Oher scores his grades and becomes a football star.

The movie is based on the real life story of Michael Oher published as the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. The Blind Side is well made, though a tad too long. Both Quinton and Sandra Bullock are pretty convincing, though it takes a while to believe Bullock is a devout Christian with a Southern accent. The movie tries to evoke the viewer’s empathy, but somehow I could never come around to that. I could not see why this one kid should get all this Christian goodwill while most of his friends wander the street with neither an education nor careers! The movie won a slew of awards, including the Best Actress Oscar for Sandra Bullock, which is again quite head-scratching. In any case, The Blind Case is a watchable emotional sports drama set in the Christian South.