movie review: the blind side

I've wanted to see The Blind Side since I first saw the previews. Sandra Bullock is witty, charming, and one of my favorite talents, and not to mention, I do love a good uplifting story.

The film is about a kind-hearted woman who takes in a homeless, helpless giant of a boy, Michael. At first resistant to her efforts, Michael soon takes to Leigh Anne (Bullock) and slowly becomes a part of her family.

Was it as good as I thought it was going to be? Sort of.

The conflicts were weak, references inconsistent, and the opening poor. Some of the more "dramatic" parts were utterly predictable, and perhaps a little too exaggerated. Since the movie was heavily related to football, I also found it peculiar that Michael didn't show an earlier interest in it. It was a push from the coach. Who had spotted him playing basketball.

That's not to say that the movie was bad, though. Michael's 'opening up' to the Tuohy family was well paced, and quite cute. I often watched the movie with damp eyes. One of my favorite characters was the ever-hopeful biology teacher who had faith in Michael even when the rest of the staff didn't. My ultimate favorite, however, was SJ. He was enthusiastic, he was funny, and probably the coolest kid under the age of 12 in the history of the world. I was a little surprised at Tim McGraw's casting, but the fact is, him and Bullock portrayed one of the best stable marriages I have ever seen. Bullock, portraying the feisty my-way-or-the-highway Leigh Anne Tuohy, went perfectly with her laid-back husband Sean. They often played off each other, and were incredibly convincing.

Generally a good film- not great, but good. It needed a little more conflict, but it was just corny enough in the dialogue to be satisfying. The previews made it out to be much, much more dramatic than it was.

I recommend seeing it, but I'm not nearly as enthusiastic as I would be about going to see the Princess and the Frog over, and over, and over, and over again.