'Blind Side' Movie Reviews

Following the lead of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' and 'Precious,' Hollywood has pulled another best-seller off the shelf for a feature film adaptation with the 'The Blind Side,' opening November 20. Written and directed by John Lee Hancock and based on Michael Lewis' 2006 best-selling sports drama 'The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,' the film comes to life with Sandra Bullock running the show as Leigh Anne Tuohy, an affluent socialite do-gooder whose family adopts an illiterate and neglected teenage schoolmate of her young son. Motivated by his supportive new family and a host of enviable opportunities, the teen becomes a sought-after college football prospect and eventually a first-round 2009 NFL draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens.

'The Blind Side' sticks to Hollywood's feel-good formula of inspiring audiences with the incredible tale of an unstoppable underdog, an old standby that made classics out of similar sports dramas like 'Rocky' and 'Rudy.' The fact that Hancock's picture is based on a true story gives the feature some added weight, as do solid performances from Bullock and newcomer Quinton Aaron, who Variety says "more than holds his own opposite Bullock" as real-life gridiron hero Michael Oher. Country star Tim McGraw, who scored plenty of cred for his role in the 2004 book-to-flick football drama 'Friday Night Lights,' co-stars as Bullock's husband, and although he looks almost unrecognizable, his acting talents haven't gone unnoticed. Judging from early reviews, despite the film's cookie-cutter storyline, 'The Blind Side' has most critics cheering.

Variety: "Even though Hancock applies more than a smidge of sugar-coating to his dramatization, 'The Blind Side' remains involving, affecting and, for the most part, emotionally honest. Better still, the pic has an insightful and evenhanded view of racial and political realities in the contemporary South."

The Los Angeles Times: "This is the kind of inspiring and solid upbeat studio release that could, and should, put Bullock firmly in the race for best actress. This could be her 'Erin Brockovich.'...'The Blind Side,' together with her romantic comedy box-office smash 'The Proposal,' should make 2009 this star's most memorable year ever."

The Hollywood Reporter: "Sticking safely to proven inspirational sports-movie/fish-out-of-water formulas while holding the inherent sociological issues to the sidelines, the dramedy doesn't skimp on the crowd-pleasing stuff, but given the setup, there also was room for more thought-provoking substance."

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Entertainment Weekly: "'The Blind Side' is a feel-good movie that never stops feeling good. The film is based on a true story...but you never feel that Hancock has honestly captured what's true about it. He's so devoted to showing us what upbeat, selfless folks Leigh Anne and her family are that the movie never quite gets around to discovering what any of those far superior saintly-family TV shows [like '7th Heaven'] surely would have: a dramatic conflict."

San Francisco Chronicle: "Writer-director John Lee Hancock wisely lets the true story of Michael Oher speak for itself. That direct focus delivers a feel-good crowd-pleaser, but it also drains the film of the kind of subtle nuances that might have separated it from other Hollywood Hallmark-like efforts, including Hancock's own 'The Rookie.'"

US Weekly: "While the drama's script is a little formulaic (yes, Oher helps his team win the big game and, yes, joining the Tuohy family helps him get his life together), its message still inspires."

The Huffington Post: "There are few big melodramatic scenes -- a key football game, an encounter with his old neighborhood crew -- but plenty of small and affecting dramatic ones. This moving film is about the little moments of emotional discovery -- for both Leigh Anne and Michael."

Chicago Tribune: "'The Blind Side' should be on the Lifetime network starring Tori Spelling, not contending for an Oscar. Yet, writer/director John Lee Hancock brings out an intangible charm to 'The Blind Side' that makes it fun, touching and entertaining."

NPR: "John Lee Hancock's julep-sweet screenplay pretty much turns the book's measured account of Oher's story into a feel-good fantasy for white liberals...[He]'s only aiming for a crowd pleaser, and by not challenging the established playbook for inspirational sports dramas, he's no doubt got one."