“Here’s the deal: I don’t need y’all to approve of my choices, but I do ask that you respect them”. This quote from a scene in “The Blind Side” accurately sums up the demanding attitude of the Southern Republican mother and home designer Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock). However, the tenaciously confident mother and die hard Ole Miss fan has another side, one that is driven by compassion for a homeless young black boy who comes from a broken and gang ridden neighborhood. As an instinctively compassionate and charitable person, Leigh Anne took it upon herself to take in and eventually become a legal guardian of young Mike Oher, a teenager who comes from a broken family with a troubled past.
If there was anyone who could have portrayed the colorful and difficult role of Leigh Anne Tuohy, it was Sandra Bullock. Her performance as Mrs. Tuohy not only added to the emotional aspect of the film, but also became, for many, the highlight of the movie. Bullock nails everything practically perfectly- the Memphis accent, the arrogant over confidence, the sympathetic emotion towards Michael, and the die-hard Ole’ Miss obsession.
Despite Bullock’s outstanding performance, the movie has one decisive downside. The plot of the movie moves along at a very fast pace, which makes it somewhat hard to follow. When the movie begins, Michael is forced to stop staying at his friend’s home and is left homeless, and at the end, Michael begins his first semester at Ole Miss. In the middle, which lasts approximately an hour and a half there are various subplots- Michael’s crashing of his new car, his declining grades at school, and the NCAA questioning his college choice. This is, of course, not to mention the main plot.
In conclusion, “The Blind Side” retells the true story of Michael Oher’s high school years and offers an emotional drama which is largely defined by Sandra Bullock’s outstanding performance as Leigh Anne Tuoghy, however, many may find it's plot as too pat.
***1/2 out of *****
I avoided seeing this, so good on ya. :P
ReplyDeleteStylistic nitpicks:
-Last sentence: better to go with ***1/2 out of *****. Less wordy, and everyone knows it means.
-"If there was anyone who could have portrayed the colorful and difficult role of Leigh Anne Tuohy, it was Sandra Bullock." : Honestly, I dunno about that. Bullock doesn't really have a definitive role, and she's certainly never played a character like this one before. Any number of talented actresses could have portrayed this type of character, I think.
-"...sympathetic emotion towards..." Since sympathy is an emotion, that's a bit redundant. :P
Grammar:
-Second to last sentence is a run-on, methinks.
Anyway, good job man, keep it up. :D
Thanks for the comments. Regarding Sandra Bullock's acting: Yeah, that was a pretty hefty generalization, but you'd really be surprised at how played up her role was. When I walked in, I thought it'd be a movie primarily about Michael Ohre, and afterwards I felt like Leigh Anne Tuohy was more of a main character then Michael.
ReplyDeleteI know Bullock's previous acting isn't anything to rant about at all, but as Leigh Anne, she just did an outstand job.
Thanks for the insight :)
"When I walked in, I thought it'd be a movie primarily about Michael Ohre, and afterwards I felt like Leigh Anne Tuohy was more of a main character then Michael."
ReplyDeleteHuh. Interesting. Think that was intentional, or accidental? That'd be a good thing to add to the review, whether or not you think making the secondary character in a biopic of sorts the main character and why...
Yeah... I'll have to think about it some more. I'll probably do a revision and add more, because it's pretty short as it is. Just couldn't manage with school, but now I'm finished as of today. :)
ReplyDelete