Plot Summary – Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael’s legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs. Michael’s tremendous size and protective instincts make him a formidable force on the gridiron, and with help from his new family and devoted tutor, he realizes his potential as a student and football player.

★★★★½ 

Watched on 08 Dec 2021

While I was watching the film, the whole time I was thinking “Damn this is so unrealistic, but I’m having a great time watching it.” Then the white text on the black screen started to appear and I began to aggressively Google the name of the main character and I was shocked to find out that this was all true? From the Wikipedia article at least, the film seems to be pretty accurate as well. This made me admire the film so much more and also erase some of my problems with it. I have this one friend and whenever they recommend a film to me now, I try to watch it as soon as possible cause somehow they never miss. They told me to watch this yesterday and even though I have both my finals in 2 days and then I’m flying back to India the next, I made sure to squeeze this in. I’m so glad I did cause this movie really made me happy and feel all warm on the inside. When I critique film nowadays, instead of analysing just what my thoughts on the film are, I try to understand what the film was trying to achieve and judge it based on its success in that aspect because it took me a while to realize that not all films are made for me. I think this film does exactly what it sets out to, it tells us this extremely heartwarming story. While some scenes may be slightly problematic or misinformed you can still appreciate it for what it is. This film would be made very differently in 2021 and who knows whether that version would hit the same or not. Sandra Bullock is fantastic in this film as you see her go through this moral struggle and really ask herself why she’s doing the things she does. Her Oscar win is entirely deserved. I really liked Jae Head as the charismatic young SJ as well. The standout performance for me was Quinton Aaron as Micheal Oher, who captures the nuances and trauma of this character while making him so likeable that you’re smiling at almost everything he does. I’m really surprised that he didn’t have a great acting career off of this film cause he definitely had the talent. Of course, I couldn’t help but feel the white saviour of it all but since it was based on a true story, I can’t even complain about that. All-in-all, this is a really fun and wholesome film that has a lot of genuine heart and while the overall plot is slightly predictable, it takes you by surprise in a bunch of scenes and leaves you with a big smile on your face. I recommend it, especially if you’re looking for something to watch with your families during the holidays.