A Heartwarming Film About Overcoming Obstacles with a Little Help
This is a sweet movie that suggests all problems are solvable, especially with a helping hand.
A wealthy woman, driven by genuine compassion, adopts a destitute teenager. Encouraged by her support, he goes on to build a successful career in American football. Sixteen-year-old Michael Oher is a massive African-American kid, awkward, ungainly, and struggling academically. His IQ is only 80, bordering on intellectual disability. He’s either unwilling or unable to complete school tests. The only thing this big guy seems to excel at is throwing and catching a ball.
A Helping Hand
Like a stray kitten, he’s taken in by a kind-hearted, fair-skinned woman (a designer, Christian, and Republican). She offers him a bed on her $10,000 couch, but still asks her husband before bed, “Do you think he’ll rob us?” “We’ll find out in the morning,” the angelic husband replies cheerfully. The young man proves to be honest and steals nothing. Overjoyed, the heroine becomes his legal guardian. Under the guidance of this gentle white woman, human feelings and intelligence quickly awaken in the hulking teen. He starts calling Bullock’s character “Mom” and writes a thoughtful essay on Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”
A Story of Hope and Inspiration
This film resonates with the sentiment of the Soviet song, “Remember how many good people there are!” It’s a triumphant display of optimism and the power of good will overcoming social adversity. For those who find the story too fantastical, the end credits feature photos of the real-life people the characters are based on: the “hulking teen” is now 24 and a star in American football.
“The Blind Side” is less a movie and more a sermon combined with an injection of antidepressants. The dosage and composition are perfectly tailored for an American audience. In the United States (“a beautiful, dreamy, trusting country,” as another child adopter, Humbert Humbert, wrote), the film grossed a quarter of a billion dollars. In Europe, it made very little.