The Blind Side is one of those movies that kinda sneaks up on you. When I first went into it I was ready to resist what I felt was going to be pretty blatant manipulation of my emotions. After all, the film deals with the uplifting story of a woman who takes in a virtually homeless giant of a man and helps turn him into a productive member of society and an NFL star to boot. That’s what I call a happy ending.

For a more in-depth review of the movie itself, Shannon Hood’s take is pretty much the same as mine. That said, I do like Sandra Bullock and find her appealing in almost any role. Also, Quinton Aaron as the young man she takes under her wing and turns into an NFL superstar does a great job without much previous experience. Sure, the film is, at times, blatantly manipulative, but that’s okay.

When you go into a film like this you expect to be pushed and pulled and unless you’re not human, you will feel emotion. I know I did. It’s a great story that reminds us all of the possibilities that life has to offer. And that’s something we should all try to remember, especially when things look bad.

The film is a times touching, poignant and also tends to hammer it’s points home a bit too hard once in awhile. Maybe the filmmakers thought the audience wouldn’t get the message? I hope not because the message seems right there on the surface for all to see. The film isn’t subtle and isn’t trying to hind anything, it just is.

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I don’t particularly like Sandra Bullock, and I really dislike sports movies, so logic dictates that I would not care for The Blind Side. I saw the trailer, and like everyone else I wrote this film off as a heaping pile of Hallmark Channel goo.

I gritted my teeth and vowed to trudge through the movie, and instead I got one of the biggest surprises (to me) of the year. The Blind Side is good. Really good. Sandra Bullock gives her best performance to date. The story is touching, inspirational and timely.

In the tradition of Rudy, The Rookie, Remember the Titans, and Hoosiers, The Blind Side is based on a true story. Michael Oher is wandering the streets in Memphis in the bitter cold clad only in shorts and a t-shirt, when the wealthy Tuohy family sees him. After the daughter recognizes him from her school, Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock) demands that her husband pull over the car.

She offers him a couch to sleep on that night, but after she discovers he has nowhere to go and no clothing, she buys him a wardrobe and eventually offers him a room in their palatial mansion. The Tuohys eventually adopt Michael, who went  on to play football at Ole Miss, and currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie tackle.

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