Overall Rating: 8.8
Loaded with pathos and inspirationally told, this movie leaves very little reason to complain. It shows just how big an impact a person can have on their own lives and on the world, even if they're dedicated to saving one soul.
Plot Synopsis:
When a man arrives at Wingate Christian Academy in Knoxville, TN and pitches two potential students to the athletic director, coach Cotton, he is initially skeptical. That is, until he looks out the window and sees that one of them is a GIANT boy with enormous athletic potential. The other student has records consistent with Wingate's high admissions standards and gets in easily, but the coach has to make a plea to the school's Christian morality to get the other - named Michael Oher - in. At first, the faculty at Wingate bristle at Michael's apparent lack of academic aptitude. His IQ is 80, he seems not to listen in class, and his test scores are miserable - to make matters worse, he hardly ever talks, very nearly costing him any chance to shine at Wingate.
Fortunately for Michael, however, he is spotted walking on a cold, rainy evening by the mother of two other Wingate students named Leigh Anne Tuohy. Suspecting, from deep down, that he is homeless, she interrogates him about where he's headed and then orders him to get in the car with her family and stay with them for the night. The logical part of her mind worries that they might get robbed by this large and imposing stranger, but somehow she wills herself to trust him, and when they awake the next day, everything is neatly folded and Michael is walking out. She extends him an invitation to stay for Thanksgiving and then makes the family sit around the table to include "big Mike" in the festivities. When she confirms for herself that Michael is indeed homeless and that his mother is unable to care for him due to drug use problems, she tells Michael he can stay as long as he wants and takes him shopping for some nicer clothes.
Despite strange looks and some rather unfortunate comments by her circle of well-to-do friends, Leigh Anne persists in her desire to help Michael succeed in school, and realizes that he can in fact learn, but that he has a disability that limits his reading skills. She gets the teachers at Wingate to give him his exams orally, she hires him a tutor to get his grades up, and she works with Coach Cotton to teach Michael how to play football like a pro since he requires a different type of instruction than most players (he doesn't respond to yelling - an appeal to his protective instincts is what is required).
Meanwhile, Michael forges a strong relationship with Leigh Anne's youngest child - Sean Jr. (SJ). He takes him under his wing and looks after him at school. And the Tuohys' older child Collins Tuohy slowly warms up to him as well...in fact both kids learn a lot about how to really open their hearts to their fellow men and the whole family comes together as a result of their time with Michael. Seeing this, and realizing that Michael lacks the documentation needed to get a drivers license or even a state ID, Leigh Anne and Sean decide to adopt Michael and even seek Michael's mother's permission to take him.
As Michael tears up the private school league and attracts the attention of college scouts, and as his GPA steadily rises, the family puts some well-intended pressure on him to pick their alma mater Old Miss as his college destination and he accepts a full scholarship to play football in death valley (so their long standing arena has been dubbed). Even his tutor - herself an Old Miss alum - tries to influence him in his decision! Unfortunately, the NCAA takes notice of the apparent collusion and launches an investigation that angers Michael. He runs away from home and back to his old neighborhood, but finds the disgusting comments of his former friends unbearable and gets into a huge brawl that nearly gets him killed. He realizes then that whatever his adoptive parents may have done, they did so out of love, and tells the investigators as much. As the movie concludes, we learn that Michael went on to make the Dean's list at Old Miss, graduated in high standing, and was drafted 27th overall in the 2009 NFL player draft by the Baltimore Ravens. The Tuohy family has also prospered since their two years spent helping Michael reach for the stars. This true story of a Christian family making a real difference in someone's life is an outstanding example to which we should all aspire.
Writing: 9.5
There are lots of very endearing bits of dialog and messages beautifully delivered in uncomplicated ways that tug at the heart strings and make us appreciate the good in this world...but the biggest strength of this script has to be the characters. Leigh Anne is just plain AWESOME. Now THAT is a power mom. LOL Everyone in town respects her (and is a little afraid of her, which is frequently quite hilarious). She reduces imposing figures of masculinity (like Michael himself and like coach Cotton) to a simple "yes ma'am" and you can't help but love watching that. SJ is adorably written. Michael is EXTREMELY compelling and likeable. The relationship between Leigh Anne and Sean is very mature and very well written.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the movie is an outstanding portrayal of a strong Christian family and I wholeheartedly recommend it to any family on the same grounds and on the grounds that it's an engaging story.
Acting: 8.0
The strongest performances (technically) were by Quinton Aaron (Michael Oher) and Sandra Bullock (who I have always thought was underrated in the Academy because of her common placement in action movies not quite as well known for their acting), with a notable side credit to Adrian Lenox (Denise Oher, Michael's life-weary mother) for her impressive and tortured performance, however brief. From the casting side, where the heck does Hollywood keep finding such CUTE kids??? Jae Head (S.J.) was not only adorably written, but just plain perfect for the role. Seeing him next to Quinton Aaron was quite a picture. Even though the kid desperately DESPERATELY needed braces...yikes! LOL
Message: 9.0
Other than the occasional slaps at republicans (which were, by in large, not terribly obnoxious or noticeable), this movie has a message to die for. Christian values run through it with pride, not with derision. The kids are chastised when they show poor manners (and respond immediately!), Leigh Anne forcefully commands the home and teaches her friends, her family and the teachers at Wingate to reach into their hearts and open their eyes to the good in the world - even in the worst parts of their own town. The best line in the movie (from a comedy standpoint) is rather non-traditional by Hollywood standards:
"You have a good time now...but you are going to have to work twice as hard to keep your grades up. There are always going to be idiots in the dorm who want to play video games or go out drinking or whatnot. And if you get a girl pregnant out of wedlock, I will crawl into my car, drive down here to Jackson and I will cut your penis off." (producing another yes, ma'am, BTW) She even declares herself a member of te NRA (and packing, buster!!), which is awesome. But it goes deeper than supporting traditional family values and openness and tolerance...or even the Christian family background, which was not displayed prominently other than in deed. The real key to this movie is that it is a template for how to truly be colorblind and reach out to minority groups. The liberal answer - multicultural education that celebrates our differences - doesn't actually do anything to help minority students live better lives. It takes a commitment to offering of yourself and trusting in the better part of human nature to make the kind of difference most of us which we could.
A fantastic showing overall, and well worth then 10 bucks to see it...trust me!
No comments:
Post a Comment