I was a little concerned when Murray picked 'The Blind Side' this month. I'm not keen on sports movies, especially those about football - a game I understand just slightly better than cricket.
Happily, 'The Blind Side' isn't really a football movie, and what football there is is explained in a very helpful "Football for Dummies" voice-over.
In most ways this is a pretty conventional feel-good movie, but a few things save it from becoming too saccharine. One is the understated but intense performance of Quinton Aaron as "Big Mike" Oher, whose gentle introversion makes for a startling contrast to his massive six foot ten inch frame.
Another is the careful attention paid to the relationships which develop between Mike and each member of his new family, giving us four unique stories of how disparate lives can intersect in unexpected ways.
For avoiding at least some of the expected stereotypes and leaving me with a smile at the end, I'll give it three and a half stars.
(Murray liked it even more.)
I think this movie is deserves movie of the year rankings. It's the first movie that i can recently remember leaving the theater feeling good. He affected change in their lives as much as they affected change in his. Very well written, directed, and acted. What a breath of fresh air.
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