Writer: Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang

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Watch this if you liked: “Remember The Titans”, “Friday Night Lights”

If you're thinking of inspirational American sports dramas like "Mighty Ducks" and "Remember The Titans" , then this pleasant biopic of NFL player Michael Oher will offer some realistic feel-good vibes with its mid-range subtlety.

However make no mistake - this is an American product meant for the domestic market there, which probably explains why it has been so successful. Having a budget of reportedly under US $30 million, it has grossed in excess of US $200 million Stateside, with second week takings that surpass its opening weekend (a rarity in industry norms). You can read that it has become the highest grossing football movie and sports drama of all time domestically in North America (unadjusted for ticket inflation) and that lead actress Sandra Bullock has gone against all known box office formulae to set some impressive precedents. That's probably great news to her as a professional, since she reportedly agreed prior to movie release to take a pay cut and receive a percentage of the profits instead.

The story? White, middle-class American housewife Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) takes in a homeless and marginalised black teenager (Quinton Aaron) into her home and unwittingly moulds him to be a great American football player when she realises that he displays disproportionately impressive protective behaviour, despite registering low on everything else in his aptitude test. It's one part racism yarn and one part sports drama, told in a narrative that is less preachy and didactic than what we have come to expect from movies of the same cut.

The success of "The Blind Side" is welcome news for an America that is increasingly recovering from its recent tumult and the movie will go down as Sandra Bullock's best shot at an Oscar, playing the no-nonsense interior designer who ends up adopting the unassuming big-sized teen to save him from the streets. Her performance is unconventional and impressive because the character arc allows no cheap sentiments and easy escapes. The character ends up not being any more likeable than before she does the great moral deed, a testament to the fact that we don't need to be overly "virtuous" people to do the right thing, even if its only once in a while.

Other performances include Tim McGraw as the husband, Lily Collins (daughter of Phil Collins) as the daughter and Jae Head as the hyperactive son, not to mention Kathy Bates has a cameo as a tutor.

Stay back to see the 2009 NFL Draft where the real Michael Oher gets drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.


Cinema Online, 08 January 2010