![]() |
Sandra Bullock sets her own rules, campaigning for a better life for a young black man in The Blind Side |
Director: John Lee Hancock
Cast: Sandra Bullock (Leigh Anne Tuohy), Tim McGraw (Sean
Tuohy), Quinton Aaron (Michael Oher Tuohy), Jae Head (SJ Tuohy), Lily Collins
(Collins Tuohy), Ray McKinnon (Coach Cotton), Kathy Bates (Miss Sue), Kim
Dickens (Mrs Boswell)

This is the sort of naked crowd pleaser that will leave a
smile on your face – and probably escape your mind after a few days. It’s
devoid of challenge and ticks every single box you would expect this kind of
rags-to-riches story to cover – the initial struggle, the growth in confidence,
the setback, the rebound, the happy ending. It’s all there – and packaged very
well by Hancock (heck the film won a surprise nomination for Best Picture).
It’s powered above all by a forceful, larger-than-life
performance by Bullock, the sort of “personality” part that the actor has
always excelled at (there is no doubt she’s a hugely engaging performer and
always has been). Bullock grips the film by the horns and rips through the
expected scenes. She’s a glamourous rich woman who isn’t afraid to go
toe-to-toe with the local gangsters! She’s wealthy but she’s still in touch
with her roots! She’s beautiful but she wears the trousers in the household!
It’s everything you would probably expect, and Bullock can more or less play it
standing on her head. She brings all her expert comic timing and exuberance to
bear and mixes it with an emotional concern and empathy rarely called for in the
romcoms that have made up much of her career. In a weak year (Carey Mulligan in
An Education was her only plausible
rival for the little gold man) she took the prize.
It’s probably the only thing that The Blind Side will be remembered for, however much most people
will enjoy it when watching it. Its story of good triumphant and a
disadvantaged young man getting the chance to come to peace with himself and
turn his life around, are bound to put a smile on most faces. There are lots of
funny lines, and Leigh Anne is such a powerhouse she makes a chalk-and-cheese
partnership with anyone she shares a scene with. But it's basically not got a lot more to it than just showing you a rags-to-riches tale, with a few slight notes of racial tension thrown in (and then barely even explored in any depth). A more interesting film might have taken more note of the differences between the Tuohy's background and the poverty of Michael's childhood neighbourhood and the fate of the rest of the people who grew up (none of whom had his advantages). But this is more interested in presenting an unlikely, balsy, champion of the underdog promote his life.
I suppose you could say that this film tells the story of
the troubled background and eventual success of a young black man and not only
filters all this through the experience of a family of wealthy white people,
but also suggests that the chances of a black man achieving this without the
support of a white family was practically impossible. But, then this isn’t a
film with a political agenda. It’s just trying to tell a charming, uplifting
story. Take it on those terms and it’s enjoyable. Try to delve into it any
deeper and it will puff up and disappear in a burst of feelgood warmth. But the
only reason it will be remembered – the only reason why it even remotely stands
out – is as the film Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.