It's always somewhat unfortunate when the best performance of an actor's career doesn't quite have the merit such a statement would infer. In the case of Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side is definitely that. She's easily at her best as the outspoken Leigh Anne Tuohy seeking to improve the life of a young man whom, before meeting Leigh Anne, was living a hard life with no aspirations of playing the game that plays such a large part in the Tuohys' lives. Leigh Anne plucks the large boy from a life of poverty, takes him in, and teaches him the value of family through both her actions and football. It may be a respectable entry in the inspirational sports film genre, and Bullock's turn as Tuohy is impressive, but more due to the lack of compelling competition – for both of them. Most inspirational sports films are awful, and most of Bullock's roles have been throwaways with little serious consideration required.
The story begins with the explanation of what it takes to be a left tackle in the game of football, and more importantly why the role has become so important in the game. Then we meet Big Mike (Quinton Aaron), who would be easy to overlook thanks to his quiet nature were it not for his towering, hulking stature. The football coach at a private high school learns of Mike first as a charity case, but upon seeing the boy's size begins to consider the possibility of having him as a player on his team. However, it being the biblebelt south, the coach convinces the school board that accepting Big Mike for enrollment is not for the sake of their football team, but for their souls as Christians. The argument passes, Big Mike enters, at first giving credit to the board's suspicion that the boy's low IQ and history of poor academic performance will be a long-term reflection of his success at the school.
Things begin to shift when Leigh Anne's husband spies Mike (a role requiring so little acting it was filled by Tim McGraw - sure he can act, but all he does here is laugh and smile) in the stands of the school's volleyball game, and thanks to the talkative nature of their son Sean (Jae Head), Mike and the Touhy's quickly become acquainted; but not before we learn more about Mike's troubled personal life, through which he coasts with a stoic face. As the Touhy's take Mike into their home, they begin to see the other side of Mike's life while teaching him what it's like to have another. It's touching. Really it is, but there's a very confusing message about charity that mixes somewhere with white guilt and the ability of some people to survive without help from their more affluent counterparts. Some can overlook it and let the story of love and football carry them through, but it's a painful balance to watch otherwise. Private tutoring, courtesy of Kathy Bates, gets his grades to a level where Mike can play football and, thanks to Leigh Anne's coaxing, he becomes a star player worthy of scholarships – something which becomes an issue later on. Did Mike choose the college he did because of the Tuohy's insistence or because he wanted to go there. It's a mild, shallow frame for the film's story, but it does well enough as a starting and endpoint for the story about what makes a family.
Bullock's strong, undeniable Leigh Anne works in terrific tandem with Aaron's facial expression-based performance as Big Mike. The two have a very lead and follow relationship (which only adds to that disconcerting notion of an awkward subtext for the film). Bullock shines and makes the film her own, but remember that it's a very cliched genre (which the film never escapes) resulting in a merely decent film with little else to recommend it besides a good performance and slightly touching story. If that's all you need, go for it. But don't expect too much more.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The combo pack includes the DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Copy, with a meager set of extras to supplement it. Michael Oher, the actual football player depicted by Quinton Aaron here, gives a candid interview about his life's journey, and then the real-life meets fiction concept continues as Bullock interviews the real Leigh Anne Tuohy, while the screenwriter then takes on the book's author. None of them is truly that enlightening, but the one with Bullock and Tuohy goes the furthest in depth. The “Acting Coaches: Behind the Blind Side” segment is interesting, and slightly funny, but ultimately shallow as they prove themselves little more than perfect examples of the stereotype films make them out to be. Finally, the real meat on The Blind Side's bone, the life of Quinton Aaron is laid beside that of Michael Oher with the similarities pointed out. It's interesting, it's revealing, and it reminds me strongly of the story of Michael Clarke Duncan.
"The Blind Side" is on sale March 23, 2010 and is rated PG13. Drama. Directed by John Lee Hancock. Written by John Lee Hancock (screenplay), Michael Lewis (book). Starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Jae Head, Lily Collins.
