The Blind Side

Release Date: November 20th, 2009

Click here for The Blind Side Trailer.

Michael Oher(Quinton Aaron) is a homeless 18-year-old from a broken home, struggling to find a place to sleep every night. While living with his friend, Michael is taken to the private school Wingate Christian where he receives a scholarship so he can play sports. Michael is severely unprepared for the high class learning at Wingate and struggles to fit in and pass classes. All the teachers believe Michael to just be a big dumb kid except for his Biology teacher Mrs. Boswell(Kim Dickens). Mrs. Boswell decides to give Michael a verbal exam and realizes that his problem is that he has a very low reading level but that he pays attention in class and absorbs the information he is given.

While leaving a volleyball game for their daughter Collins(Lily Collins), Leigh Anne Tuohy(Sandra Bullock) and her husband Sean Tuohy(Tim McGraw) see Michael walking along the street towards the gym. They stop to ask him if he has a place to stay and when he says no, the Tuohy's invite him to stay in their house. When the Tuohy's awake in the morning, Leigh Anne finds Michael walking down the driveway. Leigh Anne tells Michael that he can stay with the Tuohy's as long as possible. Leigh Anne decides to take Michael to where he thought his mom lived so they could pick up some of his clothes. When they arrive at an apartment on the opposite side of town, Michael sees that his mom was evicted and that he doesn't know where she is now.

Leigh Anne decides to take Michael to a big and tall store to get him some new clothes where Michael picks out an assortment of striped rugby shirts. At the Tuohy's home, Michael begins to form a close friendship with the Tuohy's son S.J.(Jae Head). As Michael begins to live with the Tuohy's, they encourage Michael to go out for football, but before he can do that he has to get his grades up. With the Tuohy's help, Michael is able to get his grades up enough to play football. When try outs begin, Michael does poorly because he had never played before. Leigh Anne is called into school one day after Mr. Tuohy signed off as Michale's medical contact. While at the school, Leigh Anne learns that Michael tested low on his skills test in all categories except protective instincts, in which he got a 98%.

Learning this, Leigh Anne decides to go to football practice to see how Michael is doing. While there she sees Michael struggling and his coach, Coach Cotton(Ray McKinnon), not being supportive. Leigh Anne decides to interrupt practice and fix Michael's problem. she tells him to protect the quarterback like he protected her when they went to the other side of town to find his mother and to protect the running back like he protects S.J. Understanding this concept, Michael does a complete turn around and begins playing like he had been for doing it for years. Coach tells Michael that he is going to have to work hard so he begins training with S.J. non-stop to get into it.

At the first game, Michael starts to play like he did at the beginning of the season because the team runs pass plays and he gets confused. In the stands the Tuohy's watch as Michael gets beat by the opposing teams star linebacker whose father is in the stands making crude comments towards Michael. Michael finally realizes what he has to do and orders the play to run to his side. When it does, Michael hits the linebacker and drives him all the way down field and pushes him over the end field fence as Leigh Anne Tuohy comments that Michael is her son. The rest of the game, Michael dominates and the team goes on to win. S.J., who was filming the game, posts a video of Michael driving the other player down field on the internet and it reaches the offices of some of the best NCAA football programs in the country.

Before long, coaches and scouts from the country's top football programs are coming to Wingate Christian to watch Michael practice. But before Michael can even look at going to play in college, he has to pick up his grades, something he has struggled with all year. To help with his grades, The Tuohy's hire Miss Sue(Kathy Bates), a tutor, who helps Michael study and improve his grades. While trying to become eligible for college football, all of Michael's teachers agree to give him oral exams except for his English professor who tells Leigh Anne that the only way he will pass is by doing well on the written paper due at the end of the year. Michael struggles on what to write about, but with help from Mr. Tuohy Michael was able to find a topic and pass his class.

When Michael is trying to decide on a college to attend he picks Ole Miss, which happened to be the alma mater of both Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy and even Miss Sue. After making his decision, Michael is brought under investigation by the NCAA, who think that the Tuohy's only brought Michael into their family and helped him in school and football so they could convince him to go to Ole Miss. Michael convinces the NCAA that the reason he wanted to go to Ole Miss is because that is where his family, the Tuohy's, went and that he wanted to be more like the family. Michael went on to play four years at Ole Miss and became the number one draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft.

Based on the true story of Michael Oher, The Blind Side delivers a powerfully dramatic story and shows that it is one of the best films of the year. True stories always seem to do well in theaters. While people love to watch huge blockbusters, tons of action, major laughs etc... that is typically involved with our movies nowadays, it seems what they like even more are stories about real life. Such is the case with The Blind Side.

The movie is based primarily on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis which documents Oher's rough upbringing all the way through his football career. The movie is being haled as one of the best ones of the year and I can see why. Newcomer Quinton Aaron gave a powerful performance and Sandra Bullock gave one of her best performances of her career.

This film is one of those that finds a nice balance between genres. While primarily a drama about hard times and different walks of life, the film does incorporate other genres, like comedy, into the film. I like that it didn't focus solely on drama. I think it ruins movies if you have a dram overload, like the recent movie Precious. Precious was all drama while The Blind Side was dramatic, funny, heart warming, enjoyable and just all around good. Sandra Bullock was spectacular as Leigh Anne Tuohy. It seemed that Bullock got back to her roots of acting and gave her all for this film, and it payed off. Bullock seemed to really be comfortable in the role and really made the character her own. Quinton Aaron also did an excellent job as the young Michale Oher. The 6'10" actor seemed really comfortable on screen and appeared that he could handle a role like this. I would bet we will see more of Aaron in the future as he continues his career.

As for the story, its hard to critique being as it is a true story and didn't come from somebody's imagination. What I can critique is how it was portrayed and directed however. Coming from director John Lee Hancock who did such films as The Rookie(2002) and The Alamo(2004), this movie was shot really well. The direction of the film was good and it did a good job of showing contrast between the suburban well off lifestyle of the Tuohy family and the run down, hard way of life seen in the ghettos of the film.

Overall I was very pleased with this film. It wasn't on my "must see" list and, to be honest, the only reason I saw it was because I was invited to go by a group of friends. But I can honestly say that I am very happy I went to see it because it truly was a heart warming experience. I have yet to shed a tear over entertainment. Be it on tv or in dramatic movies, nothing really makes me choke up and cry. While a movie may be touching, sad, dramatic, heart warming etc... nothing ever works on me like that. But The Blindside almost, key word being almost, made me shed a tear, which says something about how this movie is. I will say that this movie really is one of the best movies of the year and definitely one you will not want to miss.

I give The Blind Side 9 Blind Sides out of 10

The Proposal

Release Date: June 19th, 2009

Click here for The Proposal Trailer.

Margaret Tate(Sandra Bullock) is the executive editor-in-chief- of Colden Books, a popular and well-known book publishing corporation. Due to her no-nonsense attitude, Margaret is despised and feared by everybody at the office, especially her personal assistant Andrew Paxton(Ryan Reynolds). Andrew has been working for Margaret and doing every little thing for her in hoes that she will promote him to editor and maybe even publish his manuscript. When Margaret is told not to leave the country because of a problem with her citizen visa, she does it anyways to close a big book deal. The government hen cancels her Visa and attempts to deport her back to her home country oh Canada. Realizing that she can not enter the country for an entire year and not wanting to get deported, she tells her boss and her unsuspecting assistant Ryan that the two of them are engaged. Initially Andrew refuses but when the threat of losing job is hung over top of him, Andrew reluctantly agrees on the charade. Everything is going according to plan until the two meet with Mr. Gilbertson(Denis O'Hare) an INS agent who begins investigating the two's relationship to make sure it is legitimate. He tells the couple that if it is found that the engagement is falsified just so Margaret won't get deported, that Andrew will be fined up to $250,000 and serve five years in a federal prison.

After hearing this news, Andrew decides that he will only continue the false engagement under a few conditions. He wants Margaret to promote him to editor as soon as they are done and to publish his manuscript. Margaret begrudgingly agrees and the two head off to Sitka, Alaska to celebrate Andrew's grandma's 90th birthday and to tell his family about the engagement. When the two arrive in Sitka they are greeted at the airport by Andrew's mother Grace(Mary Steenburgen) and his grandma "Gammy"(Betty White) who are shocked to see that Andrew has brought Margaret, the woman he has hated for the past three years. As the four travel through Sitka, Margaret notices all the stores are entitled with Andrew's last name in front of it where in which Margaret realizes that Andrew's family owns most of the businesses in town. Margaret and Andrew then take a speed boat to an island where Andrew's family lives. Margaret is stunned by the size of Andrew's house and the fact that Andrew's parents have thrown them a surprise "Welcome Home Party". During the party, Andrew’s ex-girlfriend Gertrude(Malin Akerman) approaches the two and introduces herself before Andrew’s dad steps in. After Andrew introduces Margaret to his father Joe(Craig T. Nelson), he is immediately embarrassed by his father's views on Andrew's job. Confronting his father about, Andrew bursts out and tells him that they are engaged where in Andrew announces to the whole party that the two of them are engaged. The family then forces the two to kiss. When they do, they are strangely not repulsed and actually enjoy it.

That day, Grace and Gammy, along with Gertrude, take Margaret out for a “girl’s time”, much to the resentment of Margaret. The girls go shopping and end the day by going to a bar to watch the only male exotic dancer in Sitka. While at the show, Grace puts a wedding veil on Margaret who is taken up on stage by the dancer, Ramone(Oscar Nunez) who was also a waiter at the party for Margaret and Andrew. After the dance, Margaret goes outside for some fresh air and is followed shortly after by Gertrude. The two begin to talk and Gertrude tells Margaret that Andrew proposed to her in college and wanted her to elope with him and movie to New York. Not wanting to leave her home or family, Gertrude said no. Gertrude continues to talk with Margaret realizing Margaret’s true feelings for Andrew. While the girls are out, Andrew approaches his dad who wants to apologies for how he first acted around Margaret. He also tells Andrew that he wants to retire and that he wants Andrew to take over the family business. Andrew has already been through this before with his father and the two get into a fight, in which Andrew storms off and starts hollowing out an old canoe to get rid of his anger. When the women return, Grace and Gammy see Andrew working and immediately know something is wrong. Grace then goes in to confront Joe about what he did and tells him he needs to make it up to Andrew immediately.

Everything seems to be working out just fine until Gammy and Andrew's parents insist in getting married on the island the very next day instead of having a party for Gammy's birthday. Not wanting to disappoint, the two agree to the wedding. While it is all still an act for Andrew, Margaret, having no family of her own, is attracted to the love and generosity that the Paxton's are showing her. When Andrew and Margaret go into town to retrieve a cell phone they ordered, Margaret is taken away by Grace and Gammy to be fitted into Gammy's old wedding dress, the same one Gammy's great grandmother made and wore. Gammy also gives Margaret a necklace to where that has been in the Paxton family for generations. Seeing the care and the love that Paxton's are showing her, Margaret decides she can't go through with the wedding and hijacks the speed boat with Andrew in it to confess. But when Margaret lets go of the wheel, Andrew grabs it and turns sharply to avoid hitting a buoy and Margaret falls into the water. Andrew circles around and picks her up and takes her back to the house. When they arrive at the house, Andrew's father takes the two back into the barn where Mr. Gilbertson arrives o try and get the couple to confess. Andrew fervently denies that the wedding is fake and storms out with Margaret.

The next day Margaret and Andrew attend the wedding in the barn, a Paxton family tradition, which is filled with friends and family, including Mr. Gilbertson. As the ceremony starts, Margaret realizes her true feelings for Andrew and his family and realizes that she can not do this to them. In the middle of the wedding, Margaret stops and reveals to everybody her true reasons for marrying Andrew. Trying to make Andrew seem better, she admits that the only reason he agreed was because she blackmailed him. Margaret leaves and heads to the airport with Mr. Gilbertson. The two get on a plane headed for Juno Alaska where they will take another plane to New York. Andrew is confronted by his family but retreats to his room to collect his thoughts. While in his room, Gertrude approaches him and makes him realize his true feelings for Margaret. When Andrew leaves to stop her he is confronted by his father. The two get into a fight which heavily upsets Gammy, who falls to the ground, apparently suffering of a heart attack. Andrew and his parents are airlifted off the island with Gammy who, while in the air, tells Andrew and his dad to stop fighting all the time. The two agree at which point they arrive at the airport. Andrew contacts the Radio Control Tower Operator Chuck, who is a friend of Andrew's, and tells him to stop the plane. However, Chuck is thick headed and fails to come through. Andrew and his family watch as the plane flies away.

Back in New York, Margaret is given 24 hours to clean out her apartment and office and to get back to Canada. While at the office, Andrew comes running through the doors. He approaches Margaret and reveals his true feelings for her. Andrew asks Margaret to marry him for real. After some hesitation, Margaret admits that she is scared to which Andrew agrees that he is too. The two kiss in front of the other co-workers in the office and return to Mr. Gilbertson telling him they are engaged again, only this time he believes them, but still puts them, as well as Andrew’s parents and grandmother, through a ridiculous series of questions purely for his amusement.

This movie was a romantic comedy in every sense of the word. Ryan Reynolds is known for his comedic presence with such movies like Waiting and Van Wilder while Bullock is known for being funny in some of her roles like Ms. Congeniality. This movie put a larger emphasis on comedy than it did the romantic side of things though it didn’t leave it out completely. One thing that is hard to get in romantic comedy movies, or any romantic movie for that matter, is good chemistry between the two leading roles. This was not the case with Reynolds and Bullock. The two had great chemistry with each other. Some of the best times they had were when Bullock was being rude or mean to Reynolds and he just responded with a quick sarcastic response that was always funny. The film really made you feel sorry for Reynolds and his position under Bullock. Bullock played the ruthless boss perfectly. The way Reynolds responds to Bullock’s actions helps to add to her character as well.

The plot was fairly predictable. You know from the start that the two are going to fall in love; such is the plot with nearly all movies with this kind of premise. The premise where two people who have nothing in common, are complete opposites, or seem like they hate each other actually fall in love. But although the plot wasn’t totally original, it made up for it with the humor. One of the funniest show stealers was that of Betty White. The former Golden Girl star added her special dose of comedy to the film. She added the perfect dose of her own comedy to the movie that really gave it that extra kick. Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson performed adequately for their parts. Neither one had a big comedic role. Nelson was playing the un-approving father who just wanted his son to take over the family business and Steenburgen played the loving mother who just wanted her son to be happy.

Overall this movie was a surprising delight to watch. All the actors were good and Reynolds and Whit were hysterical. Bullock was also funny and her chemistry with Reynolds was something to be desired in some of the other romantic movies seen these days. While definitely not a movie to stand up against Transformers or other summer blockbusters like that, it is still definitely one to go and see. This movie is definitely worth an initial watch and, if you’re a fan of romantic comedies, one that you will definitely enjoy. I give The Proposal 7 Fake Engagements out of 10.