009. The Blind Side

Watch Academy Award winning actor Sandra Bullock here

So I'm sure most of you have at least heard of this movie considering it just won Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Gigli ok maybe not that last one but she might as well have!) an Academy Award. If you live in a cave and have not heard of this scintillating tale of white saves black, here it is in a nutshell: generous christian white woman saves poor black boy's life. There was no sarcasm in that sentence. I'm not the biggest fan of organized religion. I blame it for basically everything that is wrong in the world. It is made up of corrupt people taking advantage of naive lost followers who want an explanation or guide map to life. Women like Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock's character) are the very refreshing exceptions. She is a woman who is probably much more "Jesus"-like than the pope or anyone else with more power. She sees this tall imposing man and doesn't hesitate for once second to give him a bed.

The movie itself seems a bit self-gratifying. It is very possible that the events happened as is and I'm just being cynical but the truth is that it seems so embellished at times. Tuohy threatening a drug dealer and the drug dealer actually backing down? Yeah ok, unless Tuohy had a police badge attached to her ass, I see no reason why the drug dealer would look at her nervously as she walked away. There are other little scenes here and there that sort of reek of idyllic history-rewriting. It seems like its unavoidable when it comes to Hollywood, but frankly in this movie (probably more than most) it was completely unnecessary. This story is interesting enough as is. Even as I write this last sentence I fail to see its purpose. Do I imagine some young hollywood exec is going to read this blog and think "Gosh darn it, he's right! Let's stop this trend." If anything I entirely expect some young exec to read this blog and think "Hmm, clearly he means he wants this movie remade in 3D."

So is the movie worth all the hype? Honestly, no. Sandra Bullock's performance is no Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett. This isn't a movie that we will all be replaying for years to come. The only reason Bullock's performance is note-worthy is because we're used to her looking like an idiot on screen, babbling like a babboon, exposing absolutely every flaw of movies relying on slapstick comedy. She is the female Kevin James. Or was, rather. She does a decent enough job with this role but her Academy Award suddenly seems very Tomei-esque.

One of these things is not like the others...

What's worse is that she's not alone in the subpar acting. Quinton Aaron (the other leading actor) is not very exceptional. This, however, is much more understandable. I don't think the Hollywood acting pool is exactly overflowing with large black men, so I can give them a pass for this one. Tim McGraw as the dad though? What were they thinking? No. Just kidding. As much as I want to bash the guy, he did a good job. He was totally believable. Absolutely no complaints. I mean, not many praises either but his role was minimal. He did a good job at not annoying me. You know who didn't do a good job? The annoying child actor whose name I refuse to learn. I hate child actors. They are not "cute" or "funny" or any of that stuff, and yet they are always supposed to be the "scene-stealers". This kid almost ruined an otherwise good movie for me.

All in all, this movie is ok. It's above average but it is not one of the best movies of all time. Sandra Bullock's performance is not better than anyone else she was up against. The best thing it has going for it is that it is based on a true story, which makes Tuohy's actions that much more admirable. Good for her, and people like her, for giving organized religion a good name. May her god bless her with good fortune. As for the movie? Solid, not breathtaking.

Recommended. Especially if you're a lot more forgiving of sappy utopian stories than I am.