Review of The Blind Side (2009) by G_Thomas_Boston — 24 Apr 2013

When I heard all the buzz about Sandra Bullock's performance in The Blind Side, I decided that I just had to rent the DVD. When I heard all the buzz about papaya, I decided that I just had to try some. Both decisions left a bad taste in my mouth.

Bullock plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, a plucky gun-wielding mom with a lot of spunk (remember what Lou Grant said about spunk?) One day, Leigh Anne notices a behemoth named Michael Oher (played well by Quinton Aaron) walking around shivering and homeless. She invites him to stay overnight in her upscale home.

Now, I don't know about most guys, but if some rich woman that looked like Sandra Bullock invited me to stay overnight in her home, I'd be there faster than a Viagra-laden Superman flying to his date with Lois Lane. However, after a few minutes of listening to Tuohy's junior-high psychology as well as enduring her general all-around annoying personality, I'd be out of there faster than Sarah Palin's ouster from a Mensa meeting.

Then there's Bullock's performance itself. I don't know if it suffered from the fact that she was portraying such an irritating person. I was hoping some hulk from the football team would mistake her for a blocking sled and... well, not really. But maybe the fact that the character got under my skin so much says something about Bullock's acting.

I doubt however that this is what was intended by all those involved in making this flick.

And, by the way, I'm still waiting for the first great football film to be made (the best of the bunch, Jerry McGuire and Heaven Can Wait can only marginally be considered football films).