I really do love this movie!
This movie has been good to me, this was my fiancé Anabela and my first date movie (it's also been bad to me, she had to remind me of this fact - Eish!), it was a great first date :) - 4 year later and a baby boy, much happiness since that awesome first date!
The focus here when reviewing this semi-biographical movie is Sandra Bullock (and I believe I already sampled my Sandra-fanboy-love for you when speaking about her latest Oscar nominated turn in Gravity), and it was her turn in this movie as the formidable Leigh Anne Tuohy, adoptive mother to real-life football star Michael Oher (the film documents their journey), which garnered Sandra Bullock her first Oscar nomination and win for Best Actress. She is brilliant in the role, and this a movie role she didn't want to initially accept (the part of a strong christian) until she met the real-life person she was asked to portray, and a role she repeatedly wanted to resign from during filming (feeling that she was not sufficiently good in the role). It is an astoundingly solid and consistent performance, an understated performance (this is not your over-dramatic role), but enough of a stretch for the "fluffy" actress as to extend her into new territory, a role of completely inhabiting a character, and she accomplishes it seamlessly.
The movie was a box-office smash, repeatedly breaking records (especially for a movie which has a smaller budget, one name headlining, and for which the main star took a pay cut in exchange for profit share to assist with costs - a great choice as it was a screen phenomenon) - it would go on to be nominated for a Best Picture. This was apparently a controversial choice , made in the year when the Oscars extended their nominee category from five to ten nominees - I don't know why it was so controversial (going forward the nominees could be up to ten based on certain criteria), but this movie is great entertainment, proven by its performance at the box-office - and to me it is wholly deserving of it's inclusion!
So there is a strong personal response to this movie for me, it has to do with family and the non-traditional family dynamic - I have step-siblings and half-siblings, step-cuzzins/aunts and uncles - but in South Africa there is another family dynamic which exists, particularly unique to South Africa. In South Africa, against and in contrast to it's political history, there is the relationship which exists between homeowners and their live-in domestic workers - it is so unique that an american viewing it would create the world renowned comic strip Madam & Eve which is centred on the relationship between a Madam and her "maid" - for my family personally there is the familial love affair with our domestic worker of some twenty-eight years (let's call her Nasisi) who is like a second mother to us and her two children, our little sisters (Lele and Zanela)... This movie speaks to a familial love which transcends and surpasses blood and definition, but which is as solid, strong and true as to be a core relationship to our family dynamic - some people are wary of this relationship, belittling it out of ignorance, this movie celebrates uniqueness in families and is a tribute to this special kind of love. This is my personal reaction in thought which occurs when I watch The Blind Side, and I dedicate this post to my entire unique family and the unique love we share, I am so blessed to have you all in my life.
I really do love this movie!
So have just finished watching a movie I can watch repeatedly for this little Oscar Nominee project, the 3rd reviewed from the 82nd Academy Awards and the 17th watched overall. Great year for movies with lots more watching ahead!
nuff said...
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