The Blind Side DVD ~ Sandra Bullock
4.0 out of 5 stars Avoids the hazard of pathos to tell a heartwarming story, January 19, 2010 This is a film with a story that is perpetually on the brink of pathos and a sop to white guilt over the position of a huge number of African-Americans in American society. The phrase “white guilt” even comes up in the film. There is no question that you can’t avoid thinking about these things when confronted by a film about a wealthy white family taking in an exceptionally poor, socially unsupported black kid and raising him through his high school years. Let’s set all that aside for a second. The film tells a story about people caring about other people and those who can helping someone else who needs it. And we all can’t help but love rags to riches stories. Especially if they have a basis in fact.

The political aspects of this film have generated a huge amount of controversy. The story of a white family helping a black kid is bound to stir controversy. There are so many issues raised by this that I won’t even start to get into that. I think people will bring their own politics to a viewing of the film, so it will serve as a Rorschach test. I see it as an indictment of society at large and the almost complete lack of opportunity for a huge number of very poor blacks. I see Michael Oher as an exception, a kid who got very lucky because of the compassion of one family in a position to help. Conservatives will see this as a validation of private largess, while I see the opposite, with virtually no one willing to do what the Tuohy’s did. Not many people will get breaks like Michael did.

I’m happy for Sandra Bullock. I’ve always liked her, but have watched her career with a sense of horror. She has turned down some roles in pictures that were successful, while she has been in a long string of clunkers. This was easily her best role since . . . SPEED? Many of her best roles actually came from before SPEED, in small supporting performances. Of the top box office actresses of her era, she may have the worst group of movies on her resume. I also like that she is another of an increasing number of actresses to continue to enjoy success after turning 40. It is great to see her have such great success after so many stinky movies.

As an Arkansas fan (and therefore an SEC fan) I got a kick out of seeing former Arkansas coaches Lou Holtz (who was fired for his awkward handling of racial tensions on the team, stupidly making a commercial endorsing racist North Carolina senator Jesse Helms when the Arkansas program was being torn apart by accusations of racial insensitivity on the team–and what could be racially less sensitive than making a commercial for that old hate monger) and Houston Nutt (fired due to stupidity of some Arkansas fans who created an untenable atmosphere — not that I don’t enjoy the current Arkansas coach). There is a funny moment where Houston Nutt, as the Arkansas head coach, notices that Leigh Anne is holding an Ole Miss cup. That is funny because when fan pressure drove Nutt out of his job at Arkansas, he became the head coach at Ole Miss. Speaking of Arkansas, Michael Oher should have gone there. Darren McFadden and Felix Jones might have been even more productive. Well, maybe not. I’m not sure how either of them could have done much more than they did. Oher did end up playing for Houston Nutt. Interestingly, I am pretty sure that all of the coaches who appeared in the film are now actually at other schools or out of football entirely.

I have to point out that a couple of actors from one of my all time favorite TV series, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, were in THE BLIND SIDE. The boy who played the irrepressible S.J., Jae Head, played the equally irrepressible Bo in Season One of FNL, a little boy who idolized Tim Riggins. And Kim Dickens, who played the teacher who first recognized that Michael Oher was smarter than many assumed, played Matt Saracen’s Mom in Seasons Three and Four.

Robert Moore reviewed: