Movie-The Blind Side

The Blind Side was nominated for a couple of big Oscars, including best picture and best actress for Sandra Bullock. Sandra (she like me to call her Sandy, but I prefer to be more formal in my blog) won for best actress.

It is hard to dislike The Blind Side (2009) in any way. It is sympathetic, warm-hearted, a good sports film and a learning lesson with strong moral content. And yet...yet I could not like it as much as many others did...even though it is based on a true story. For me, there is something almost too fairy-tale about it, too innocent and too predictable.

Most people know the plot---Sandy (ooops, I mean Sandra) plays Leigh Anne, a well-to-do woman with a great husband, kids and the perfect life. She finds a large young black teenager in need of a hand, takes him home and he becomes part of the family, while becoming a huge football star. She defends him like a tigress, and holds her family together through ups and downs.

I think REALLY good performances held this movie together when it could have been a little saccharine. Starting with Sandy, and Tim McGraw who plays her husband, and Quinton Aaron, who plays Micheal Oher, the teenager, the cast is without blemish, great.

But the way Leigh Anne is able to overcome Michael's difficult past, with simple phrases and pop psychology grated a bit, and seemed far too simple for complex emotional problems. And while admirable enough that they succeeded, it sends a message that all these problems may be solved by good humor, love and a little grit. And that is not true.

If I take this a one tale about one family it works well, The Blind Side works well. If I take it in a larger context, it starts showing fault lines. And try as I might, I can't ignore the larger context where grit does not always cut it. Love does not always win out over deep emotional problems, and a scrappy woman can't solve the problems of the inner city.

At least, that is my opinion. And for that, Sandy now wants me to refer to her as Ms. Bullock.