Dir. John Lee Hancock, 129mins, USA , 2010
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Ray McKinnon, Kathy Bates
Review by Matthew Rodgers
At this stage of her career Sandra Bullock was on 4 th Down and 15 yards (this is a bad thing for anyone, which is almost everyone, unfamiliar with American football terminology) after a few career fumbles; The Proposal, Premonition, etc. She represents the Miami Dolphins of the acting world; glamorous, good to look at, bright and hugely appealing, yet never going to win anything despite obvious talent and a huge fan base.
Her recent commendable appearance to accept the Worst Actress Razzie award in person for the doorstep DVD All About Steve shows just this. It's what happened the following night at the Kodak Theatre that we're here to discuss, the Academy Award for Best Actress, won for this aptly titled film that came from nowhere and charged like a rushing quarterback at your tear ducts with all its movie of the week sensibilities, and turned Miss Congeniality into Miss Credibility.
Put aside any fear that this is your typical American football movie, a sub-genre that very rarely translates this side of the pond, despite the brilliance of Any Given Sunday and the current underappreciated US drama Friday Night Lights . This is the very human, true story of Baltimore Ravens Michael Oher; the right kid on the wrong side of the tracks who beat the odds to become a pro-football star. Destitute and abandoned, he is taken in by caring socialite Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock), a woman without agenda or motive who simply sees the good in him.
Sounds sickly? So the only reason for watching would have to be a scouting mission for Bullock's turn as the sassy Southerner? It's not the most dramatically weighty role when compared to her brief stint in Crash , but it's a true star vehicle, giving her chance to dominate the movie without ever being showy. In fact it's quite an understated performance with very little of the grandstanding you'd associate with an Oscar winner. Whether addressing a racist redneck as “ Oi, Deliverance ”, or defending her intention to adopt with well-to-do friends, Leigh Anne is certainly a memorable screen creation and that's solely down to Bullocks charisma and obvious talent at handling drama.
Newcomer Quiton Aaron is tasked with the difficult job of being the main attraction but playing second fiddle to Bullock, so it's no great surprise that this gentle giant only truly lights up when he's sharing tender moments with her. Their emotional scenes together are more charged than any of the sterile sports simulation sequences.
The Blind Side has its own titular, self referential problem though; it missed the snap and is blind in terms of the story's potential hardships. Everything seems too easy. Racial divisions are glossed over with a knowing put down or quip, and the fleeting forays into the impoverished side of town are soon forgotten amongst the scholarships and success montages, they are used as nothing more than a narrative device to show the horror from which Michael has escaped to his white upper class existence.
It is a recommendation in the most inoffensive, saccharine coated way. Inspirational but extremely predictable from feel-good start to finish. |
