We had been given a few DVDs by a friend-of-a-friend who was leaving the country, but had not heard of any of them. We decided to try ‘The Blind Side’, as it listed Sandra Bullock as one of the main actors, and we’ve always liked her style. The DVD cover told us that it was based on an extraordinary true story, which sounded intriguing. 
(Amazon UK link)
The first few minutes were quite off-putting, as they featured American football, with commentary and cheering - and we had no clue what was going on. Was it going to be a sports film, we wondered? We kept watching, determined to give it a fair chance, and were so glad we did. American football does feature, but it didn’t matter that we don’t like or understand it.
Michael - ‘Big Mike’ - played by Quinton Aaron is the star of the film. He’s not someone we had heard of before, but we were very impressed. The actor was apparently a decade or so older than the 17-year-old boy he was playing, but was entirely believable.
Michael has impressive ball skills, which attract the notice of an American college who agree to award him a scholarship. Unfortunately, his academic skills are minimal. He’s spent his life in foster care or on the streets, and his education has been sporadic at best. A perceptive teacher realises that while he has trouble with writing, he has an incredible memory and the ability to understand quite complex concepts and information, so long as he’s able to talk rather than write.
Sandra Bullock is the feisty, warm-hearted Leigh Anne, and we immediately liked her character. She has a teenage daughter at the same college as Michael, and a young son. She notices that he has nowhere to stay, not much to eat, and no warm clothes as winter sets in. So she invites him to stay overnight. Her husband is a bit uncertain and she wonders if she might have made a mistake…
It’s an engaging, thought-provoking and ultimately very uplifting film despite the scenes involving American football. There are one or two light moments, but a lot that made us think about white privilege, and the motivation people might have for helping those who are struggling. The story itself might be somewhat predictable but the character growth and insight was excellent, and was what made it such a very watchable film.
Rated 12, which I think is probably right; some violence though nothing gory, and a few sexual references. Some quite sordid scenes involving drugs, and some bad language. But nothing gratuitous, and we didn't find any of it disturbing.
Definitely recommended, and I’m sure we’ll watch this again in another five or six years.
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