Review of The Blind Side (2009) by Harth. — 21 Feb 2010
The only thing worse than this giant turkey served with a ladle of Hollywood schmaltz is that it's been legimitized by the Academy and a handful of bought-and-paid film critics. The Bright Side should be a case study for what's wrong with American mainstream filmmaking, an exemplar of dumbed-down writing and directing, wrapped in the transparent gauze of reality.
As if this "true story," saccharinated to cancer inducing levels, has any resemblance to actual events. Reality is complex; this movie is not. What's worse, the messages are patently offensive: the glorification of wealth, the inherent goodness of whites over blacks, the retreaded notion that sports are the only ticket out of the ghetto.
John Lee Hancock has never met a reaction shot he doesn't like. Every time the big kid opens his mouth, Hancock cuts to one of his white savior's droopy expressions -- now, isn't that just the saddest thang y'all evah heard -- just in case we didn't understand that the black boy's plight is worthy of sympathy.
Call it the death of subtlety. If that's your bag of popcorn, if you like your film moments telegraphed, if you think critical thinking and entertainment are mutually exclusive terms, The Blind Side is your movie.
This review of The Blind Side (2009) was written by Harth. on 21 Feb 2010.
The Blind Side has generally received positive reviews.
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