The Blind Side Movie Review by an Adoptive Mother

NOTE: This article is from an old blog Golden wrote on from 2017 to 2019. It was called Mama Wants an RV. The blog has since expired but the memories remain. Thanks for reading!

Original Post from April 28, 2018

The Blind Side shares the true adoption story of Michael Oher, a professional football player, who was taken in by an upper-class white family in the south at the age of sixteen. The Tuogys live an idealistic life of privilege and status. One day Leigh Ann Tuogy is struck with compassion for a large black teen boy (Quinton Aaron) living on the streets. This sport/drama keeps you on the edge of your seat as Christian charity meets inner-city reality, challenging the motives behind adopting children.

Sandra Bullock gives one of her most inspiring performances in The Blind Side. Leigh Ann Tuogy comes across as an uptight, got everything in her life in order, perfectionist. She is married to Sean Tuogy (Tim McGraw) who finds himself being led by his strong-willed wife. Together they adopt an uneducated youth who was taken from his mother at the age of seven.

Flashbacks from Michael Oher’s childhood give the viewer a few split-second glimpses into the process of removing a child from their home. While horrifying, the director, John Lee Hancock, tastefully keeps these moments as brief as possible. One can’t help but be drawn to compassion for this young man. The Blind Side gives the impression that there is much more hidden behind the surface than what is seen.

Big Mike is accepted into a Christian private school after the coach (Ray McKinnon) appeals to the admissions board. Christians are supposed to have compassion for the less privileged members of society. This southern community seems turned off by helping the less fortunate in a personal, side-by-side, way. Throughout the movie we see teachers and high-class wives unmoved by Michael Oher’s plight.

The Tuoghy family brings Big Mike into their home and engages him in family activities regularly. Both Tuoghy kids, SJ (Jae Head) and Collins (Lily Collins) learn to ignore pressure from peers and accept Oher for who he is. A boy in need of a place to live and a family to love him.

Being a woman of order, Leigh Ann seeks the proper authorities to become a legal guardian. She is shocked to discover Oher can be adopted without notifying his birth mom. Taking matters into her own hands and stepping outside her comfort zone into Hurt Village, Michael’s home town, she discovers a woman destitute and hopeless. The unfortunate reality for Michael’s bio-mom is all too common among other women who have lost their children.

While Big Mike’s past haunts him, it also drives him to action. After measuring in the 98% in protective instincts, it becomes clear that Oher can be an impressive offensive left tackle. (This is the guy who covers the blind side of the quarterback.) It will take the right guidance and patience to help this young man become something great.

Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, joins the heartwarming cast as Miss Sue. She tutors Michael during his final year of high school in an ambitious attempt to prepare him for college. The hope is he will enter a program that will eventually lead to a pro-football career someday.

Seeking to give Michael the perfect set up in life, Leigh Ann fails to ask her new son what he wants in life. She must wrestle with her motives to care for Big Mike from the beginning asking, “Why did we do all this?” This is a convicting question for any of us who have adopted. The purpose behind adoption should be to honor God by caring for His children, and we should be careful to examine any selfish motives on our part.

Only time will tell if Oher will accept his new family and embrace a life of prestige or be turned away by the pressure to perform.

I enjoyed The Blind Side’s instrumental soundtrack. I felt moved with a passion for a cause worth pursuing: adoption. The editing was clean and crisp making each scene stand out. The football game and crowd antics made me feel like I was sitting right next to the Tuoghy family, supporting their cause.

Leigh Ann’s wardrobe left me a bit stunned. When I think of southern Christian women, I don’t think of tight-fitting, low-cut, outfits. The director may have been trying to take advantage of Sandra Bullock’s ability to flatter on the screen. I found most of Ms. Bullock’s costumes distracting.

I’m thankful the language was kept at bay as I only counted five uses of profanity, one of those being reprimanded in a car ride. There were no uses of the Lord’s name in vain, a rarity among secular films portraying Christian values.

A caution to families with young children, or any child who has experienced a traumatic event. Near the end of the film we do see Oher’s flashbacks played out in full. It happens during a triggering one-minute scene from an apartment in Hurt Village. I believe this scene is critical for adults to see the lasting impression of domestic violence on the mind of a child. It includes the fight, flight, and freeze behaviors that most foster care children exhibit. However, I don’t believe it is necessary for children to see. Unless you plan on discussing the scene and its effects with your kids, skip it.

Overall, I give The Blind Side four and a half out of five stars. When I first saw the film in 2009 with my husband it gave me chills. We left more on fire for adoption than we had been before. It also confirmed in us the great need for older youth to be in a loving and accepting environment to experience healing. This came to fruition in our lives when we received three older children from foster care in 2010. We finalized our adoption in 2011.

Please let me know what you think about The Blind Side. I would love to know if it impacted you in any way regarding your adoption story. We need more movies like this one. In fact, Sandra Bullock was so impacted by her own movie that she adopted two children from the Louisiana foster care system.