The Blind Side (2009)

Based on the book written by Michael Lewis, "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game", "The Blind Side" is an inspirational film.

Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) is admitted to Briarcrest Christian school by a coach hopeful that he will be able to contribute to his sports program. Michael is basically illiterate at this point, he has a GPA of almost 0, but he is not unintelligent. A teacher discovers that he does well when he is given his tests orally. She meets resistance from the other teachers initially, but they come around.

Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), an interior designer, first notices Michael when he sees her son S.J. (Jae Head) speaking to him at school, she is told that he is known as "Big Mike". When she sees him walking along the road in the freezing cold, she and her husband Sean (Tim McGraw) pick him up and set him up on the couch in their palatial home (her husband owns a large amount of fast food restaurants). Most of the rest of the movie is about how he began to live with the Tuohy's and became a member of their family (they eventually became his legal guardians). He brings up his GPA thanks to a tutor, Miss Sue (played humorously by Kathy Bates) and begins to play football. He has a hard time at first, but picks it up fairly quickly with a little help from Leigh Anne and S.J. Michael does so well, that he is recruited by colleges and ultimately makes it to the NFL.

Along the way they face the expected resistance from friends and family. They made a special point of the fact that a large African-American male was living in the same house as their teenage daughter Collins (Lily Collins). A large part of the movie shows that although the Tuohy family helped to change Michael's life, it highlights the fact that he changed theirs as well.

This film kept me interested, made me laugh and yes, made me teary. Sandra Bullock delivers a great performance here and Tim McGraw as Leigh Anne's husband does well as her patient, fast food magnate husband. Jae Head steals the show as the perpetually spunky S.J. This is one of the most uplifting movies that I have seen in quite some time.

During the college recruitment scenes, there are appearances by several current big name coaches such as Nick Saban and Lou Holtz. Michael played at Ole Miss and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens where he is currently spending his rookie year as an offensive lineman. Make sure that you stay for the credits and watch the pictures from Michael's real life with his family!

130 Minutes. Rated PG13. I give this movie FOUR AND ONE QUARTER STARS!