The Blind Side

[Brian in Mesa]

The Blind Side

Release Date: November 20, 2009
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: John Lee Hancock
Screenwriter: John Lee Hancock
Genre: Drama, Sports
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references)
Website: TheBlindSidemovie.com

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins, Jae Head

Plot Summary: Sandra Bullock ("The Proposal"), Tim McGraw ("Friday Night Lights") and Oscar®-winner Kathy Bates ("Misery," "Revolutionary Road") star in Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Blind Side," which depicts the remarkable true story of All-American football star Michael Oher.

A homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, Oher (Quinton Aaron) is taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential on and off the football field. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own.

Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

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[jw7]

This movie was just great. Especially the acting.

The story holds pretty close to the book.

Sandra Bullock was fantastic. As well as the kid that played SJ.

It surprisingly grossed $32M this weekend.

 

[thirty-two]

i cant wait to see this!

 

[TJ]

This is a tremendous movie. My wife cried the entire time.

Jae Head, who played SJ, is amazing. I first saw him in an episode of Law and Order SVU. Very energetic and charismatic.

I think this was Quinton Aaron's first big movie but he portrayed Big Mike very well.

Im not a big Sandra Bullock fan, but she came out stellar in this movie. Plus, she looks sexy as a blonde. Can't lie.

 

[jw7]

This is a tremendous movie. My wife cried the entire time.

Jae Head, who played SJ, is amazing. I first saw him in an episode of Law and Order SVU. Very energetic and charismatic.

I think this was Quinton Aaron's first big movie but he portrayed Big Mike very well.

Im not a big Sandra Bullock fan, but she came out stellar in this movie. Plus, she looks sexy as a blonde. Can't lie.

Yeah, I want to see this again and get my parents to see it. They read the book.

Jae Head was really a scene stealer providing upbeat comedy relief. But this was really Sandra Bullock's movie.

Kinda spoiler scene but one of my faves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2iysx14fIU

 

[Gaddabout]

It's taking a beating from some about negative stereotypes, but it's such a good story -- and it's true -- that it should float about all that stuff. Can't wait to see it.

 

[Folster]

Great movie. Very emotional and inspiring.

 

[Shane]

Fantastic movie all the way around!

 

[Dback Jon]

Best movie I have seen in a LONG TIME.

I laughed. I cried. I cheered.

Definately a movie for everyone.


Sandra Bullock can ACT!! Who knew? Oscar worthy performance

 

[Bert]

This is a tremendous movie. My wife cried the entire time.

Jae Head, who played SJ, is amazing. I first saw him in an episode of Law and Order SVU. Very energetic and charismatic.

I think this was Quinton Aaron's first big movie but he portrayed Big Mike very well.

Im not a big Sandra Bullock fan, but she came out stellar in this movie. Plus, she looks sexy as a blonde. Can't lie.

I just saw it and I agree with everything you just posted TJ.

 

[DeAnna]

Great film - the kid who played SJ was great.

I loved Sandra Bullocks character - no nonsense, knows what she wants and gets it done. Liked the part where she "drooled" over Nick Saban in front of her husband, LoL.

 

[Gaddabout]

Liked the part where she "drooled" over Nick Saban in front of her husband, LoL.

I actually found that disturbing. And I'm an Alabama/Saban fan.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

Just saw this with the wife today...Surprisingly packed theater. Loved this movie...was completely into the characters. I went in thinking this would be just another sports bio-pick, ala We Are Marshall, but I was pleasantly surprised that football was actually a minor part of this movie. Really good character driven drama...Even found myself in tears a few times, during the 1st 45 minutes.

 

[thirty-two]

Absolutely LOVED this movie. I love stories of WIN by those who probably wouldn't have made it given the circumstances. Great story, great acting. Sandra Bullock is freaking amazing!

 

[Cheesebeef]

first half of the movie before the football stuff was really good... after, just freaking stupid IMO.

Sandra Bullock's character would have been dead and then raped if she went down to that neighborhood by herself and talked trash to those guys.

 

[jw7]

first half of the movie before the football stuff was really good... after, just freaking stupid IMO.

Sandra Bullock's character would have been dead and then raped if she went down to that neighborhood by herself and talked trash to those guys.

Really, you did not like the 2nd half? I liked it better than the first.

It is a true story. If you read interviews with Sandra Bullock about the role, she did not really want to take it because Leigh-Anne Touhy "scared the crap outta me"

It's a true story. The scenes in the 2nd half where the college coaches would negotiate with SJ are absolutely true, and really funny.

And Leigh-Anne really does pack a weapon in real life. That really freaked out Bullock when she met her.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Really, you did not like the 2nd half? I liked it better than the first.

It is a true story. If you read interviews with Sandra Bullock about the role, she did not really want to take it because Leigh-Anne Touhy "scared the crap outta me"

It's a true story. The scenes in the 2nd half where the college coaches would negotiate with SJ are absolutely true, and really funny.

And Leigh-Anne really does pack a weapon in real life. That really freaked out Bullock when she met her.

I thought the second half was just sappy, by the numbers sports movie garbage. and I don't believe for a second that she actually went down to the projects and threatened those guys.

question - does anyone know if the kid was actually investigated by the NCAA for booster violations?

 

[azsportsfan01]

I thought the second half was just sappy, by the numbers sports movie garbage. and I don't believe for a second that she actually went down to the projects and threatened those guys.

question - does anyone know if the kid was actually investigated by the NCAA for booster violations?

She supposedly did go down to the project. If it happened the way it is shown in the movie is a different story.

As for the investigation, yes he was.

Michael Oher's decision to sign with Ole Miss was investigated by the NCAA, due to Sean Tuohy's pre-existing relationship with the school, where he had played basketball.

http://espndb.go.com/nfl/draft/player/profile/_/playerId/23889/michael-oher

 

[jw7]

I thought the second half was just sappy, by the numbers sports movie garbage. and I don't believe for a second that she actually went down to the projects and threatened those guys.

question - does anyone know if the kid was actually investigated by the NCAA for booster violations?

Cheese, seriously, go pick up a copy of "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis.

All of the above is true. The Oher recruitment was investigated by the NCAA since the Touhys are Ole Miss alums and boosters. Sean Sr. was an all-american point guard, Leigh-Anne was a cheerleader and their daughter Collins was a cheerleader there as well.

The investigation raised more questions when Oher's coach, real name "Hugh Freeze", but "Burt Cotton" in the movie was hired by Ole Miss after Oher signed up for them. Complete probable cause for an investigation, but they were cleared.

And Miss Sue? Can't remember her real name, but if you look at the video of Oher's 2009 draft selection, you will see her on stage with the Tuohy family. He made the dean's list at Ole Miss.

 

[Gaddabout]

The book and the movie parallel well. The only thing that's really changed is the timelines, but it's forgivable because that's how you have to do things with an adaptation.

The book goes into much greater detail about Leigh Anne's past, which I thought was interesting. She explains she grew up in a racist household but can't remember when or how her views changed. The book seems to suggest Sean's athletic career and lifetime spent with people of many backgrounds as the influence on Leigh Anne's view of race.

 

[Tyler]

Finally had a chance to watch this movie. Nothing short of moving but I am interested to what his college life was like as well. Oh well, time to read up on him some more. Awesome story and I think they did a good job putting it onto film.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

Yeah - I just watched it this week as well ...... good movie for sure

 

[Russ Smith]

Finally had a chance to watch this movie. Nothing short of moving but I am interested to what his college life was like as well. Oh well, time to read up on him some more. Awesome story and I think they did a good job putting it onto film.

The part I didn't like is that Hollywood decided this is a feelgood story, so we're going to just totally omit the stuff about Orgeron suggesting to the Tuohy's they have Oher declared LD to give him more time to qualify. And they don't even mention the words BYU online which is how he qualified. I think it's obvious a lot of his early F's were the result of his homelife or lack thereof, if you don't have a bed, it's going to be hard to be a student and that's why the kid often wasn't in school etc.

some of the stuff from that story actually led to rules changes. for example the tutor was not only allowed to literally read the online courses to Oher, BYU online requires a final exam to be proctored by a local educational official. In Oher's case several of his finals were proctored by ... his tutor! She may be the most honest person in the world but that's hard to know for sure.

It's a great story and they certainly changed the kids life for the better but I do think the movie left some things out just because they didn't want there to be any "hmm that sounds sketchy" feelings from the viewer. If you read the book it's a lot less cut and dried there's a definite grey area there as to was everything legit.

 

[jw7]

It's a great story and they certainly changed the kids life for the better but I do think the movie left some things out just because they didn't want there to be any "hmm that sounds sketchy" feelings from the viewer. If you read the book it's a lot less cut and dried there's a definite grey area there as to was everything legit.

So just a disclaimer: I am probably the biggest "Blind Side" apologist out there. This is just one of my favorite movies of all-time and it is on the list with "Shawshank" as a movie I can watch over and over and never get tired of it.

Everything you said is correct. There are some discrepancies in the movie and what really happened.

- The Touhys did NOT take Oher home the time in the rain as portrayed in the movie, they took him to a bus stop.

- Oher played football before, and was not the total novice as portrayed in the movie.

- Oher's high school coach took a position with Ole Miss shortly after he signed - that was not in the movie, either.

That said, they did make a big deal out of the fact that the Touhy's were boosters and that was at both the beginning and the end of the movie.

And Oher did make the dean's list at Ole Miss after both his sophomore and Sr. seasons. He has a degree in criminal justice. Also, I think Collins was in the same class as him, but they did not show her at graduation.

Fair enough criticism, but does not dampen my enjoyment of the book or movie.

 

[Mulli]

I stopped watching after school specials around age 10. Hey o!!!