The Telescope

Issue Date: 11/16/09

'The Blind Side' successful through universal themes

3 out of 4 stars

By Jarred Powell

Media Credit: Courtesy Image

"The Blind Side" is the most heartwarming film I have seen in almost two years.

It takes a genuine human being to look through the rough exterior of a human being to see who a person is. Leigh Anne Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock, is certainly one of those women.

"The Blind Side" is a true story based on the life of Baltimore Ravens rookie offensive tackle Michael Oher, played by Quinton Aaron.

The cast does a great job at illustrating southern hospitality. Their accents are crisp and proper.

A viewer can tell that cast members spent a lot of time becoming comfortable and getting to know each other off camera. Bullock and Aaron share a chemistry that is as believable as a real mother and son relationship.

Oher spent a portion of his life in foster care and living on the street before Tuohy and her family found him walking on the road one night. The Blind Side is the story about the relationship between Oher and Tuohy.

Bullock plays a strong, down to earth southern woman that looks through the rough exterior of a gigantic young man to see a heart that was screaming to be loved.
Bullock's role in this movie is different from her Ms. Congeniality roles. In my opinion, this is her best leading role since she was in "Crash," and I believe that she will get an Oscar nomination for it.

Aaron, an actor who has never been in a major film prior to "The Blind Side," plays a good supporting actor role.

Director John Lee Hancock, who also directed "The Rookie," should be a household name after this movie because of the successful way that he executed the overall theme of the movie.

This movie is warm, heartbreaking and surprisingly funny and should be a hit this holiday season. It isn't a classic, but it will be a movie that audiences will want to see again and again and eventually buy.

The theme of "The Blind Side" is relevant to American audiences. Americans love an underdog. Typically, a story about a person who is at a disadvantage and later overcomes that hardship proves to have a successful plot.

There are universal themes in "The Blind Side," some of which stood out to me because they struck strong personal chords.

As I watched this movie, I could not help but to fall in love with it. It mirrored my own life. The same thing that happened to Oher happened to me when I was two years old; the differences being that I knew my parents and was not as athletic.

Both Oher and Tuohy needed each other to get the most they could out of their lives. The theme in the movie all boils down to first impressions. No matter what happens in our lives, a first impression is a lasting impression. They can make or break a person.

The first impression you get from this movie should last a lifetime.

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