The Blind Side - 31st January 2012

Tuesday Night is Film Night comes around so very quickly, cannot believe this is the 5th film of 2012! Tonight's film was a Christmas present and it's taken us this long to get around to watching it, but it was well worth the wait. Let me tell you all about;

The Blind Side

The Blind Side is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless boy who, through the love and care afforded to him by a kind family, becomes an American football player and graduates to college.
The route that gets him there is sad, but uplifting, emotional and inspirational.

The stunningly beautiful Sandra Bullock, plays Leigh Ann Tuohy, who along with her family takes care of "Big Mike". He doesn't like being called Big Mike, but as he is a gentle giant of a boy, you can see why he is called that. Quinton Aaron is absolutely superb Michael, totally convincing and spot on with the manner and characteristics of a gentle giant.

So the Tuohy's take in Michael and help through school, concentrating on his talents for football. Being a huge boy, he is ideal for defence and blocking, but being gentle, he is scared of  committing, until in one memorable scene he is convinced on how to play football, not by the coach, but by Leigh Ann, who walks out onto the pitch and explains that his team are his family and he needs to protect them like he protects his family.
This does the trick and all of sudden Michael becomes this massive footballing talent.

There is a lot more to this film than football, it is very touching and heart warming, we follow a shy, troubled individual, who has been let down by teachers and his blood mother, disregarded because he is believed to be simple, disturbed by drug addiction and violence at home, but we see him blossom, with support, care and love, into a larger than life young man, with the world of college football and ultimately the NFL begging for him to join them.

The Blind Side is brilliant, moving and funny. Sandra Bullock makes the role of Leigh Ann her own and quite rightly won the 2010 Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Watch this movie. That's an order.