The Blind Side (2009)

The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Director:

John Lee Hancock

Writers:

John Lee Hancock, Michael Lewis (book)

Stars:

Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw

Won 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandra Bullock	...	Leigh Anne Tuohy
Tim McGraw	...	Sean Tuohy
Quinton Aaron	...	Michael Oher
Jae Head	...	S.J. Tuohy
Lily Collins	...	Collins Tuohy
Ray McKinnon	...	Coach Cotton
Kim Dickens	...	Mrs. Boswell
Adriane Lenox	...	Denise Oher
Kathy Bates	...	Miss Sue
Catherine Dyer	...	Mrs. Smith
Andy Stahl	...	Principal Sandstrom
Tom Nowicki	...	Literature Teacher
Libby Whittemore	...	Sarcastic Teacher
Brian Hollan	...	Jay Collis
Melody Weintraub	...	History Teacher

Storyline

Based on the true story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who take in a homeless teenage African-American, Michael "Big Mike" Oher. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict. Michael has had little formal education and few skills to help him learn. Leigh Anne soon takes charge however, as is her nature, ensuring that the young man has every opportunity to succeed. When he expresses an interest in football, she goes all out to help him, including giving the coach a few ideas on how best to use Michael's skills. They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship. Michael Oher was the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft.

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Plot Keywords:

football star | american football | high school football | based on true story | left tackle | 

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Taglines:

Based on the extraordinary true story

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 2009 (Canada)

Also Known As:

L'éveil d'un champion

Filming Locations:

Agnes Scott College - 141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,313,317 (UK) (26 March 2010)

Gross:

$255,950,375 (USA) (14 May 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcon Entertainment, Left Tackle Pictures, Zucker/Netter Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Oher was an experienced football player when he enrolled at Briarcrest. He developed into a premier left tackle, and was heavily recruited by top schools in the Southeastern Conference. Oher was less than pleased by the movie's depiction of him as passive, unskilled big guy who was only barely acquainted with football. Nor was he enamored by the Forrest Gump-like depiction of himself in the film; in real life, Oher is taller and more athletic.

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Goofs

Quinton Aaron, who played Michael Oher, is 6'8", but the real Michael Oher is 6'5". The 3 inches of "extra" size help the filmmakers dramatize (among other things) how out-of-place Oher looked at a school full of mostly average-sized white kids.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Leigh Anne Touhy: There's a moment of orderly silence before a football play begins. Players are in position, linemen are frozen, and anything is possible. Then, like a traffic accident, stuff begins to randomly collide. From the snap of the ball to the snap of the first bones, closer to 4 seconds than 5.
[video rewinds]
Leigh Anne Touhy: One-mississippi - Joe Theismann, the Redskins quarterback takes the snap and hands-off to his running mate. Two-mississippi - it's a trick play, a flea-flicker. And the running back ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.68 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Cello Song
Written by Nick Drake
Performed by The Books featuring José González
Courtesy of The Red Hot Organization

User Reviews

Another inspirational sport film

I saw this last night at a screening and found it to be a very inspiring movie. I love sports movies as well as movies based on true stories, so this film hit multiple buttons for me personally, but reactions of others leaving the theater seemed equally positive.

As with any sports movie, you must have an underdog to cheer for, and Michael Oher is that underdog. Having been removed by CPS from his crack-addicted mother's home as a child and bounced from foster home to foster home, Oher has been staying on a friend's couch. He is reluctantly accepted to a private school when the football coach sees potential in him and pressures the school's admissions board to give him a chance.

Unfortunately, being an undereducated black youth in a predominantly white private school doesn't magically turn his life around, and in addition to struggling to understand his classes, he finds himself sleeping in an all night laundromat after the stay at the friend's house ends. While walking on a cold, rainy night , Oher is offered a ride and then a place to sleep for the night by the Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose children attend the same school Michael does. It's this single act of kindness that begins a chain of events that will change this underdog's life, eventually resulting in his being a top 2009 NFL draft pick and signing with the Baltimore Ravens.

The actors brought plenty of life to the characters they were playing. It was a pleasure to watch Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy, making a somewhat minor character in the film memorable. Sandra Bullock's portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy was fascinating--I'd really love to meet Mrs. Tuohy in person. Jae Head as SJ became my favorite character in the movie, practically stealing the show as it were. Quinton Aaron's portrayal of Oher leans heavily to the strong, silent type, but there is a quiet grace and gentleness that comes through.

Obviously, nothing is quite as slick and clean as Hollywood plays it in movies like this, and there were issues and controversies surrounding the Tuohy family and the assistance they offered Michael Oher. Some of it is depicted in the movie, though not all, and there are many who will decry this film for that. It's a given that there is more to a story than what you see on the screen...condensing years into a two hour presentation requires some compromise...and it is meant to be entertainment after all.

I only had a couple criticisms. One, at 126 minutes, the movie was a little too long. I think 8-10 minutes of editing would have really tightened it up and eliminated a couple slower moments. Second, Sandra Bullock's accent seemed a little too forced at times. And finally, what happened to Steve Hamilton, the boy whose family Michael was staying with when he started attending Briarwood? Once introduced as his father pressures the coach for scholarships for Steve and Michael, he disappears from the movie. Minor issues that didn't keep this from being an extremely enjoyable movie, but did help keep it from being a perfect 10.