'The Blind Side' poster

In football, the “blind side” pertains to the unseen or obstructed view of the quarterback for which the left tackle is responsible in protecting. But the similarly titled film presented a metaphorical significance to protecting one’s family and one’s honor in ultimate feel-good fashion.

Michael “Big Mike” Oher (Quinton Aaron) is a homeless African-American from Memphis whose life was changed (as it had changed others) when in a fateful pre-Thanksgiving chilly night, the sight of him walking alone and lonely on the road struck a chord in Leigh Anne Touhy’s (Sandra Bullock) strong but soft heart. So she took him in, made him family, and later on, a much sought-after football superstar.

Sounds dramatic of a plot, right? But director John Lee Hancock dodged the sentimental sap and sought for the humorous kick that uplifted the entire film—based on Michael Lewis’ 2006 novel, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” about the right tackle for Baltimore Ravens.
Aside from the hearty punches, “The Blind Side” has more than a handful of praise-worthy performances from the cast, particularly Sandra’s. Her portrayal of a smart, strong-willed, and sassy mother and decorator with that sexy Southern accent is an empowering image of a woman thrust in a man’s world—of football, that is.
 
Yet beneath her domineering aura, she has a heart as soft and sweet as cotton candy. And the Golden Globe Best Actress winner fits the character just as perfectly as Leigh Anne’s well-off clothes fit her.

While Leigh Anne is headstrong, Michael is a shy, guy-of-few words kind that makes their characters complementary. Newcomer Quintin shares a warm mother-daughter chemistry with Sandra, and he triumphs in tugging the viewers’ heartstrings with his sad, expressive eyes and gentle giant appearance. He is lovable and deserving of a “proper hug” beyond the bumblebee rugby shirts and then-low GPA (which he later made up with the help of his tutor, played by Kathy Bates).

But the joy of the film is Sean “SJ” Touhy Jr. (played by the adorable Jae Head), who is gifted with the spunk of his mom and the charm of his dad (Tim McGraw). He is not just bond-brother to “Big Mike,” but also the latter’s trainer-slash-agent-slash-sidekick. Their training scenes—from the bench-pressing to strategy-making (with the help of bottled kitchen spices and condiments)—is like a snippet from a comedy flick. He is at his opportunistic sidekick best when, for every college offering Michael received, he asks in true and serious businessman tone, “What’s in it for me?”

The film began in a hopeful note and ended in a happy one, as one would expect in a success story. In between, flashbacks here and there depict the life Michael once had in the hands of his drug dependent mother and being tossed from one foster to another. Other underlying themes in the movie are issues on racial discrimination, and the struggle to gain acceptance and belonging in a superficial society.

Big Mike’s story, as seen in this uplifting movie, proves that not everyone who lives in a world full of doubt, hatred, and discrimination resort to these.