The Blind Side

John Lee Hancock is not a director many Australians would have heard of. The few films he has directed have gone straight to DVD here. They are very typically American films that would probably not do well here. However thanks to the star power of Sandra Bullock he has had a huge success.

As mentioned in my 'Invictus' review I'm not a sports fan. Having watched games here and played a bit in school, at least with Rugby I understood what was going on. At the beginning of this film Leigh Anne Tuohy in voice over explains a bit about the game of Gridiron. But it was all still a mystery to me. But then again the film is not really all about the game. The film though is very sweet and good natured, a little too much. Michael Oher comes from a very troubled background which is not explored very much and we only see glimpses of in flashbacks. You might say there are similarities to 'Precious'. However 'Precious' showed it all and was the better for it. While that's not a bad thing the film is good but just a little too clean cut. Everyone seems very nice and loving. It is great that Michael achieved as much as he has and the story is inspiring.

This is probably the type of role Sandra Bullock has been wanting for a while. She has done her time in romantic comedies and now wants to move up to serious actress territory. So while she is good in the film, I think that is only because of what she has done previously and not this material. The film is very safe and does not require her to stretch that much. Would this film have been as successful if a lesser known actress was in the role? Most of the supporting cast do not do much except get out of the way of Sandra. Jae head does an excellent job of being some great comedy relief and almost steals every scene he is in. I was however drawn more to Quinton Aaron. I feel his wonderful performance has been over shadowed somewhat by Sandra's. Quinton is excellent and deserves more praise.

An OK heart-warming story for those who like nice, sweet movies that don't challenge you too much. Sandra Bullock's performance is hugely overrated and while good does not deserve the attention it has got. Worth it though for Quinton Aaron.