The Blind Side Review
The Blind Side is an inspirational, heartwarming true story based on the life of Michael Oher. Michael was a homeless African American boy from a broken home, who was picked up off the streets by Leigh Anne Tuohy(Sandra Bulock) and her family, and then taken to their home. The Tuohy’s helped Michael pursue his potential, he is now a lineman in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: March 23, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 9+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
I think it’s good for young viewers to see how hard Michael worked to succeed. Michael came from the Nashville projects, he was admitted to Wingate Christian school for his athletic potential. Most of the students there were white, they came from educated and well-to-do families. Even though Michael was rescued from his awful environment in the projects, he then had new challenges to overcome. With his hard work, and the help of his tutor and adopted family, he succeeded to become an All-American offensive left tackle.
This is a movie about helping others, which is great for kids to view. Leigh Anne initially takes Michael in for a temporary place to stay, and he gradually becomes part of the family. When a friend of Leigh Anne’s tells her how wonderful it is that she’s changing this boy’s life, Leigh Anne replies, “He’s changing mine.” So often we find that when we help others, we tend to get more satisfaction then the people we’re helping.
The Touhy children are great kids, very welcoming to their house guest, eventually their adoptive brother. S.J. Touhy(the son) develops a strong friendship with Michael, Collins(the daughter) takes more time to warm up to him, but eventually does.
I read that Michael Oher has not yet seen the movie. His adoptive mother said, “When Michael is getting prepared to play a football game, the movie is not the foremost thing on his mind.”
The actors were terrific! Sandra Bullock was amazing, and the actor who played the little boy were great! Kids will like him, my son thought he was the coolest.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Implied that Leigh Anne and Sean have sex.
- Sexual conversations, but nothing too much.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There is some violence. When Michael went back to the projects to look for his biological mother, some of the guys were making crude comments about Leigh Anne and her daughter. Michael defends them, and gets into a fight with one of the guys in the projects. This is a disturbing scene, especially for younger kids. My 12 year old son said he didn’t like that scene, but they had to show it.
- Michael and S.J(the son) get into a car accident, this scene shows a lot of blood, which may also be disturbing to young viewers.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- Swearing throughout the movie.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Michael’s mom has a drug addiction.
- Leigh Anne drinks wine in the film.
Overall this is a feel good sports drama that the whole family will enjoy. However, it is PG13 due to some violence and disturbing scenes. I would recommend this for kids ages 9 and up. Parents will love it too. I give it five buckets.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.