Review of The Blind Side (2009) by Myffubs — 07 Jun 2012

Upon seeing the trailer for The Blind Side, I had a good idea how I would react. Upon viewing the final product, my suspicions were validated. Its heart is entirely in the wrong place. The movie ought to be about Michael Oher and how he achieved success, but this is not the case.

The Blind Side centers around the kind Southern white woman who takes in an underprivileged black youth. Her kindness, not his struggle, is what the movie is about. To the actors' credit, everyone does a good job.

The leads are mostly great, especially Quinton Aaron, but the direction and writing undercuts the performances. The Blind Side is all uplift and no substance. When the movie isn't trying to win your heart with its blatant emotional pandering, it's trying to warm it with sentiment-heavy and sitcom-lite humor, a rather nauseating combination.

Also problematic is the unflattering portrait of African Americans. In the movie's eyes, if black people aren't waiting for kind white folk to lend a helping hand, they are either unable to support their families or are manipulative bullies.

I suppose there is one business-professional African American woman, but it's telling that she is introduced as a villain. There are moments in The Blind Side where a better movie shines through, one with both the appropriate seriousness and sweetness for the situation, but this better movie is largely overshadowed by the mediocre one in the foreground.

It is sadly telling about the state of film when movies like this are nominated for Best Picture.