The Blind Side
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Short description
The Blind Side tells the story of Michael Oher, a young Black man in Memphis who has drifted through foster care and homelessness. A chance encounter with a coach at a Christian school gets him enrolled despite his weak academic record, and there he catches the attention of the Tuohy family, particularly Leigh Anne, a strong-willed interior designer. She takes him into their home, and the family becomes his support as he works to develop his talent for football. With their help, he improves on the field and in the classroom, eventually drawing attention from college programs and, later, the professional league.
John Lee Hancock directed and wrote the screenplay, following his earlier films The Rookie and The Alamo. Sandra Bullock plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, with Tim McGraw as her husband Sean, Quinton Aaron as Michael, Jae Head and Lily Collins as the Tuohy children, and Ray McKinnon as Coach Cotton. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Alcon Entertainment and Netter Productions on a budget of 29 million dollars, the film became a major commercial success, taking in about 309 million dollars worldwide.
Audiences have responded warmly: on IMDb it holds 7.6 out of 10 from roughly 385,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.7 out of 10 from around 7,000 votes. The film critics' rating stands at 6.3 out of 10 from 204 reviews, noticeably lower than the audience scores. The film runs 129 minutes.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on Michael Lewis's book "The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game," which tells the true story of promising football player Michael Oher. He was a homeless teenager who was taken in by a well-to-do, respectable family, who nurtured the future NFL star.
- Initially, the lead female role in the film was offered to Julia Roberts, but the famous actress showed no interest in the project whatsoever.
- Sandra Bullock initially turned down the role offered to her three times. The actress was unhappy that her character was a devout Christian, and the theme of faith occupied a certain place in the film's plot. As a final attempt, the director invited the actress to Memphis to meet the Tuohy family and visit the school Michael Oher attended, after which her desired consent was finally obtained.
- At the request of the producers, Sandra Bullock agreed to a significant reduction in her usual fee, receiving instead a certain percentage of future box office receipts. Since the film became a massive box office hit, the actress's decision fully justified itself.
- As preparation for his role, Quinton Aaron trained with the Georgia Institute of Technology football team for some time in the spring of 2009.
- While auditioning for the film, Quinton Aaron continued to work in security. After the auditions, he left his business card with his contact information and offered his services as security on the set, in case he didn't get the role.
- In reality, Michael Oher attended Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, but its administration, weighing the pros and cons, did not allow the school's name to be used in the film. The reason for this decision was dissatisfaction with certain moments in the script, particularly those scenes where teachers directly express doubt about Michael's ability to learn normally.
- Many well-known coaches from American college football teams appear in the film as themselves. Since the events shown in 'The Blind Side,' most of them have changed jobs, moving to another college or retiring altogether.
- Michael Oher was selected as the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the National Football League draft, held on April 25-26. The Baltimore Ravens were supposed to pick 26th, but after a trade with the New England Patriots, they received the right to an earlier pick.
- A significant portion of the film was shot at Atlanta International School and The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. Many students from these schools had the opportunity to participate directly in the filming.
- On July 30, 2009, Michael Oher signed a five-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens for $13.8 million. In his first season, he started in all 16 games and was voted the second-best offensive rookie of the year by the Associated Press.
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