Perhaps there is something to be said for the heartfelt family movie. Amidst vampires and werewolves, and end of the world epics, The Blind Side maintained strong numbers over the Thanksgiving weekend, topping the $100 million mark in box office receipts.
If you haven’t heard of this movie, and the true story on which it is based, you’ve likely been living under a rock, or at least not watching Sunday Night Football. The movie starts Sandra Bullock as Leigh Ann Tuohy, a upper crust white mother living in Mississippi, who takes in a poor homeless African American youth named Michael Oher, played by newcomer Quinton Aaron. Tuohy, her husband, played by Tim McGraw, and their two children not only teach Oher about football, at which he excels and now is a lineman in the NFL, but he teaches them the true meaning of family.
Now generally, I’m not a big “family movie” fan, and especially of plot lines that seem so transparent. I find it hard to pay ten bucks and devote several hours of my life to sitting and watching fluff. However, The Blind Side exceeded all of my expectations. More than the story, which is heartfelt without being overly sappy, I was blown away by the acting. Both Sandra Bullock, who hadn’t really taken on many roles outside of the romantic comedy box, and Tim McGraw, who I have a hard time seeing without tight jeans and a baseball cap, were beyond impressive. By about twenty minutes in, I had completely forgotten that I was watching “the girl from Speed” and “Mr. Faith Hill.” The cast is rounded out by the always amazing Kathy Bates and multiple cameo appearances from NCAA football coaches.
Though my girls are a little young to take to the movies, I was impressed to see fathers and their sons, as well as entire families enjoying this movie together. There were no points when ears needed to be covered because of profanity or squirms of embarrassment from uncomfortable “adult situations.” Maybe the “family movie” is back. All I know, is that we loved it, and we have a little more faith in taking our kids to the movies. First up, we’ve got a date with a Princess and a Frog. They’ve got some big shoes to fill.
Comments
No comments.