The Blind Side* (2009)

It’s easy to look at the setup of this film and feel your inner cynic rolling his eyes. Letting Disney get their hands on a true story involving sports, an underdog, culture clashes and a dose of family values would seem dangerous. Disney’s track record for these kinds of stories has been spotty at best and usually dripping with schmaltz. Fortunately, The Blind Side doesn’t give in to the usual Disney trappings. Instead, it delivers an emotionally charged, if not semi-predictable, film that works on all levels.

Teenager Michael Oher has been bounced around all his life. From foster homes to his friend’s couch, ‘Big Mike’ finally catches a break when his friend’s father convinces a private school athletics coach to admit the boys for their athletic abilities. At school, Michael befriends a younger boy named Sean Tuohy, Jr. (S.J. for short). This proves to be life-changing when S.J.’s mother feels a sudden surge of compassion for the down-on-his-luck teen.

The Tuohy family takes Michael in, temporarily at first, but Mrs. Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) in particular forms an attachment to the boy. Putting her Christian faith where it counts, she and the family move towards adopting Michael as their son. Along the way, Mrs. Tuohy faces criticism from her friends who are shocked that a well-to-do white woman would even want a lower class African American boy in her home, and Michael faces adversity at school in order to stay on the football team. Football unites Michael and the Tuohy’s as Michael comes to play an important role both on and off the field.

As I mentioned with my review for Invictus, these based-on-a-true-story underdog tales need to be given a little extra context. Had this not been based on the life of a real person, it would have been much easier to skewer Disney for what would feel like a paint-by-numbers upward mobility tale. But because of that ‘true story’ disclaimer, it’s easier to sit back and enjoy this film knowing that it is based, in some part, on fact. Had Disney gone too far with artistic and storytelling liberties, someone would have made a big stink about it.

Nobody made a big stink about The Blind Side, though it’s not hard to pinpoint a few areas where liberties may have been taken. Parts that are played up for emotional impact actually work though, especially when we explore Michael’s former world of poverty, gangs and downward spiraling behavior. Seeing Mrs. Tuohy descend into this world in an effort to help Michael is enough to make any middle class suburbanite nervous. These scenes in particular are probably what propelled Sandra Bullock to her Oscar win for this film, as the rest of it feels pretty generic.

Bullock’s character is tenacious though. Coupled with Michael’s desire to better himself, Bullock plays a believably defensive surrogate mother for her adopted son. The supporting characters all get the job done as well, with youngster Jae Head as the lovably quirky and over-exuberant S.J. Tuohy. Country artist Tim McGraw continues his streak of respectable performances as well as a Southern dad doing his best to aide and support Michael. No one is flat, stale or too over the top for their own good, which is another major victory for Disney.

One interesting side note and word of warning to some of you- don’t expect to see a lot of sports action from this sports story. Most of the film covers Michael’s struggle with schoolwork, self-esteem and building relationships with his new family. These are obviously the most important elements of the film but there is a dash of football every now and then. Just don’t be expecting something along the lines of Friday Night Lights and you won’t be disappointed.

There’s a lot to like about this film. It’s funny, moving, clever and heartfelt all at the same time. Are some parts easy to see coming? Of course, but that’s not this movie’s fault. Despite the number of poor true-story films that get made, and despite their familiar structure, America loves a good underdog tale, true or not. When they can be as consistent and solid as The Blind Side, they are worth remembering.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

Friday Night Lights (2004)

Sports films are an interesting breed. It’s hard to rate a film involving a sport you know very little about. While the action may look impressive to the casual viewer, an expert on that sport could point out a thousand inaccuracies that you might otherwise overlook. Fortunately for me, Friday Night Lights comes with a reputation for being pretty accurate in its portrayal of American football. With that in mind, I was able to examine the emotional aspects and human drama inherent in the story. I’m happy to report that this is a solid all-around film.

Friday Night Lights tells the story of the 1988 season of the Odessa-Permian High School football team. It was adapted from a book of the same name written by a man who had followed the team for several years. The gritty, no-holds-barred story infuriated many of the town’s residents, accusing the author of portraying the repressed Texas town as dysfunctional, bigoted and unhealthily obsessed with their high school football team.

Whether or not the town’s portrayal is a fair one, this film immediately launches you into a sports world rarely explored in cinema. It’s difficult to think of another sports film that so unapologetically immerses you into the dark world of adults living vicariously through the successes of young athletes. It’s bad enough when parents fall into this trap, but for a whole town to demand so much out of emotionally fragile youth is truly despicable.

The players aren’t the only ones who feel the heat. Billy Bob Thornton plays the team’s coach. He is a man who knows full well what is expected of him and his talented team. It’s a lot of pressure for one man to take without being constantly reminded of it and yet he is reminded of it every day by virtually every person he meets. For four or five months a year, he might as well be mayor, seeing as he carries the team and the team, in turn, carries the town. Oh, the anxiety!

The only downside to the film is that it doesn’t break away from the sport enough. We see plenty of on-field turmoil, the pressure these kids take from their parents and the adoration they receive from their classmates, but there is little or no focus on their life at school- academics, social lives away from the team, etc. This was probably done because the book was written about the season and provides limited information about the players’ lives. Also, the film is shot in such a way that you are kind of a silent observer, as if you’re one of the townsfolk, and they certainly don’t give a damn how these kids do at school or outside of football. All they care about is the thrill and excitement to feel good about something in their life for one night a week.

Friday Night Lights features some sharp acting from many relative unknowns in Hollywood. The young actors really bring the players to life- the nerve-wracked quarterback trying to be a leader, the mouthy hot-shot running back who is being sought after by dozens of colleges, and several under the radar players who make up the heart and soul of the team. There is also an inspired performance by Tim McGraw as an alcoholic former state champion whose son doesn’t quite have the skills on the field his father once did.

In 2006, NBC created a television series based loosely off of the book and film which covers more of the emotional side of being a teenager growing up in such a situation. For what it’s worth, the film would have felt slow and bogged down had the filmmakers attempted to include the extra baggage. Instead, the end result is a roller coaster of a film that knows its focus and never wavers from it.

Highs and lows abound, making Friday Night Lights a powerful, unique and serious look at sports typically approached in dark comedies or outright parodies.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5