Bush-voting, gun-carrying, "sports moms" are not usually the heroines of Hollywood movies about overcoming prejudice and racial inequality.
Based on real events, The Blind Side sees a wildly rich Southern family adopt a homeless, barely literate, black teenager and set him on course to play American football at college level. In doing so, the film swims against the stream of Hollywood's accepted belief; that wealthy white Americans are generally responsible for causing inequality, not for solving it. But the film's raft of award nominations earlier this year (including a Best Actress Oscar win for Sandra Bullock), demonstrate a recognition that The Blind Side is not about forcing its audience to choose sides in the US political divide, but what it means for any of us to be good.
Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) is the woman who has everything; expensive clothes, a palatial home, a regional fast-food magnate husband (Tim McGraw) and two precocious children. But when she meets gentle giant Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), who has recently been transferred to her children's school on charitable grounds, she is shocked by his plight. He is sleeping in public buildings, failing at school and owns just one set of clothes.
After inviting him to sleep on their sofa on a rainy night, she learns that he was placed in foster care as a child, because his mother was a drug addict and his father was nowhere to be found. The more the family get to know the teen, the more they realise that his circumstances were caused entirely by other people's selfishness and neglect. Tuohy lets him stay at their home indefinitely, buys him new clothes and even a car, not because there is anything missing in her life, quite the opposite - she simply recognises it's the right thing to do.
With the family's help, Michael quickly becomes a unique footballing talent - built like an ox and with natural protective instincts that make him an asset to his team, not to mention the envy of several prestigious colleges. Bullock's character is caring, funny and unbelievably fierce. Aaron's turn is almost as impressive and feels so grounded in reality that it's easy to forget you're watching an actor. The movie is a little longer than necessary, however, and would manage fine with fewer scenes of Tuohy chastising everyone she meets.
It also has the visual flair of an episode of The OC and suffers from a dubious creative decision that the best way of depicting extreme wealth is by giving everyone big hair. But despite its gaudiness, the film more than redeems itself with two captivating central performances. It's exploration of the wealth and racial divide is brave, but the film ultimately offers no solutions beyond the importance of individual responsibility.
