Review: 'The Blind Side'

Randy Cordova | Gannett

Bullock's charm makes sporty 'Blind Side' shine

Sandra Bullock is almost always worth watching, but she is just sensational as a wealthy Southern socialite in "The Blind Side," an exhilarating new movie with a sports backdrop.

Bullock plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, a feisty interior designer who is equal parts velvet and brass. Impeccably coiffed and sporting designer shades, she lives a picture-perfect life as she tools around Memphis, hauling her two kids to private school in the family BMW.

One night, she meets Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), one of her children's classmates. He's big, introverted and essentially homeless because his mom is a crack addict who is constantly on the move.

Leigh Anne invites him to sleep on the sofa in her gargantuan house, and he gradually blossoms with the family's care. He lands on the school football team because of his size, even though his sweet nature initially doesn't serve him well on the field.

Nurtured by Leigh Anne, her good-humored spouse, Sean (a solid Tim McGraw), and a tutor named Miss Sue (Kathy Bates), Michael is set on a path that points him to a college football career, and, ultimately, the pros.

Perhaps because it is based on a true story - Oher now plays for the Baltimore Ravens - Michael's amazing journey always feels credible, even when the sentiment is poured on a little thick.

The movie also ventures into unexpected areas. The day-and-night difference between Leigh Anne's sunshine reality and Michael's dark upbringing is subtly explored. In another sequence, Leigh Anne is forced to examine her motives behind helping Michael, a moment that adds an extra layer of emotional weight to the proceedings.

The performances are uniformly good, but it is Bullock who gives the movie its heart. She is forceful and alive, with a pitch-perfect Southern accent to boot. This may be the best performance she has ever given.

While the film falls into some of the sports cliches (anxious coaches and lovable underdogs), it is hard to argue with the results. The finished product pretty much defines the term "crowd-pleaser."