THE BLIND SIDE: Sheer Entertainment

Posted by: Craig Detweiler on 11/17/2009 @ 4:12 am

I wish I had a dime for every time I heard Christians express a hunger to see their faith portrayed in a forthright manner onscreen.   Nobody wants to see something preachy.  They simply long to find a film that shows how beliefs are translated into tangible actions.   Surely, daily discipleship decisions can be translated into cinematic terms.

Prayers have been answered with a remarkably entertaining film, THE BLIND SIDE.   This real life story of football player Michael Oher comes from the acclaimed pen of Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball and The New New Thing).   But The Blind Side is a much more than a football story.   It is a tribute to families, to the power of adoption, to the practical difference one family can make.   At a time when we desperately need heroic actions, The Blind Side delivers refreshing role models.

Sandra Bullock is so compelling as Leigh Anne Tuohy.  She absolutely owns the screen with a ferocity so rarely afforded to cinematic mothers.    She is such a charming and persuasive Southern belle.  As Big Mike, newcomer Quintin Aaron softens, breaks and then restores our hearts.   It is such a strong understated performance.   John Lee Hancock (The Rookie) directs a winning cast.  He makes us care deeply about the characters and their predicaments.   Cynical reviewers may consider their choices cloying.  Some have called the film paternalistic (white family rescues poor black boy).  But I’d suggest that The Blind Side earns respect through conscientious actions.

I had the privilege of previewing the film and writing a study guide.   It includes downloadable scenes from The Blind Side.  While New Moon may capture most of the headlines this weekend, The Blind Side will quietly renew your faith in Hollywood and in what a difference we can each make if we simply live out our convictions.   It will join the ranks of Rudy and Hoosiers as an instant sports classic.  Not because of action on the gridiron, but rooted in the transformation that occurs within Michael Oher and the viewer.