The Blind Side [Blu-Ray]

The Blind Side, a film that earned the beloved Sandra Bullock her first Oscar and warmed the hearts of many with its good Christian message of helping the less fortunate, is a touching example and application of foundational American ideals with an accessible, poignant veneer. It is also a big steaming pile of bullshit. In a broad sense, the true story of Leigh Anne Tuohy's (Bullock) decision to bring the homeless and legally retarded Michael Oher (Quintin Aaron) into her home seems like a wonderful affirmation of human kindness, but it's the narrative presentation and periphery storylines that stink up the room. Moving past the overly cutesy Norman Rockwell depiction of the Tuohy family, with their super-precocious and understanding son, and ever-supportive, personality devoid patriarch, there is an overwhelming sense of smug class system superiority. While Michael is depicted as a gentle giant, obedient and kind-hearted to a fault, his acceptance into a privileged white world pivots on his adherence to their beliefs and codes, along with his ability to play football for the alma mater of their choice. Meanwhile, the black characters living in the projects are all gangbanging drug addicts determined to keep our puppet of a protagonist trapped in their cycle of crime. Even Michael's mother is a narcotics-loving whore that cannot remember who fathered her son. The implication is of acceptance through assimilation — an ostensibly Republican notion — as life would be a like a Hallmark card if people would just stop being different. Interestingly enough, the film addresses the issue of boosting indigent athletes into the college football world with an NCAA investigation, but quickly shrugs it off with a glib comment about family. Motivation is one thing, as no act of kindness is entirely altruistic, which is fine, but The Blind Side aggressively denies these assertions while having Kathy Bates tutor the boy specifically to get his GPA high enough for college athletic consideration, never acknowledging concern for any other form of his personal betterment. It's proactively defensive about Christian goodness despite treating the subject in question as little more than a fancy pet. The Blu-Ray includes mini-supplements on the real Michael Oher and the actor that played him, showing us how super-fantastic money and public recognition are, along with some conversations between Sandra Bullock and the real Leigh Anne Tuohy. If nothing else, we learn that the script made an effort to make Ms. Tuohy sound a lot more intelligent than she actually is.