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THE BLIND SIDE John Lee Hancock Starring Quinton Aaron Sandra Bullock Tim McGraw Lily Collins Following John Lee Hancock's previous outing (the diabolical The Alamo) The Blind Side feels like an immense improvement; having said that, the entire thing is little more than an Oscar tout with a rather impressive lead performance. The film opens on a lengthy explanation of the two highest paid members of an American Football team - a trick that Eastwood neatly avoided in Invictus - namely the importance of a defensive player (the linebacker .. I think). The fact of the matter is American Football irritates the hell out of me as a rugby player/fan and the last thing I need to start a two hour slog is a fucking educational about the sport. I agree that explaining certain elements about a sport unknown to certain audiences is a positive but simply opening the film by listing terminology is tedious and wholly uninspired. So, after this tirade of sporting trivia, we're finally treated to the opening threads of the story. It's actually a little difficult to describe the opening as it's largely irrelevant (in the filmmaker's eyes, at least). We should be learning about the traumatic upbringing and troubling existence in the roughest areas of Memphis for Michael Oher [Aaron] but all we're really waiting for is Sandra Bullock to show up. Desperate to break out of his unfortunate circumstance, a friend's father takes Michael to a well-off Christian school, rife with rich, white students. Michael is reluctantly admitted but his shy manner precludes him from truly bonding with anyone. After a good twenty minutes the .. well, there's no nice way to describe her. I want to type brash, rude, confident, hoity, controlling, manipulative, empowered, etc but they don't seem to work (despite all being relevant). Instead, I will simply describe her as white, Southern State elite. (I'm sure I'll receive an email or two illustrating that if this were a male character, I would praise his initiative and bravado but I'm not sexist.. I hate everyone). Anyway, Leigh Ann Tuohy [Bullock] shows up and takes the practically homeless Michael into her house, clothing and feeding him. This causes (minor) rifts in her clique-y world but his presence makes her happy and brings her family closer. After a while it becomes quite obvious that although the focus should be on Oher's struggle to overcome adversity, the family's social standing and self-righteous mission take precedence. Although I saw this film on 07-Mar-10, I'm actually typing this review the following morning. The significance being Sandra Bullock went from an Oscar nominated actress, to an Oscar winning actress. Watching The Blind Side I happily admitted that Bullock had done an incredible job, not because the character was particularly inspiring or ground-breaking but because she was such a departure from the actress' usual role. I thought an Oscar nomination was a little excessive considering her character should have been a supporting one but I still believe a great deal of praise is due. Then there was Quinton Aaron's portrayal of Michael Oher, which was incredibly limited and 2D but one that was delivered with the necessary amount of emotion. Everyone else annoyed the piss out of me. Tim McGraw's part as father and husband seemed to primarily involve smiling and nodding while oozing, "Whatever you want, honey" in that Southern drawl and the annoying child, S.J. [Head] was beyond irritating, to the degree I wanted to punch the little sprat in the throat -- I’ll go into that more later. Most distressingly was the complete lack of minority support. It was as if, the white saviours had plucked the poor little black boy from the 'hood' and anything that happened in said neighbourhood was irrelevant. So much so that there was a great deal of confusion about who Michael's father was or if he died or not and when Michael randomly bumps into his brother, whom he hasn't seen in a decade, the encounter is swept away and never discussed again. The whole thing reeks of white benevolence and generosity, focusing less on Michael's story and struggles and more on the wealthy family that 'did the Christian thing' and took him in. This recurring fact and the continually predictable saccharine nonsense lines like "You're changing that boy's life" "No, he's changing ours" add up to a lengthy release that felt little more than a back-slap for white Southerners (Southern States of America, that is) with the strong, healthy moral: money solves everything. Release Date: 26th March 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: I'm quite happy to suspend a certain amount of disbelief to enjoy a story but when a well-to-do white woman prances through a dilapidated, gang-riddled part of town in her tight clothes and designer shoes and sunglasses only to intimidate harden criminals and manages to go back to her BMW without incident or repercussion, I'm left stunned. I'm not saying standing up to others isn't a noble act, I'm simply stating that rolling up to some shady guy with a gun and threatening, 'If you try anything, I know the District Attorney and if that doesn't work I'll fucking shoot you anyway' is not exactly the best message. Notable Characters: S.J. Tuohy. I hate when kids in films talk like adults. I agree that children shouldn't be spoken down to but I just saw some bratty, loud-mouth kid rather than a witty comic relief -- but that's largely because I'm a bitter sod. As previously stated, there are two standout actors that give thoroughly commendable performances. However, other than Aaron and Bullock, the supporting cast are left obsolete. Highlighted Quote: "Did y'all know there's a coloured boy on your Christmas card?" In A Few Words: "A self-congratulatory effort, promoting the kindly aid of the wealthy white family, while the main character plays a supporting role in his own biopic!" Total Score: 
5/10Matthew Stogdon |
