Ever since I saw Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday I thought I will never ever see a better movie about football and the truth is I still haven’t, the champion is still unchallenged. I am mentioning this because I did expect The Blind Side to be another hundred minutes of tackles, both on and outside the pitch, another movie that glorifies what is in fact just a mutant form of rugby, another mix of pain, sweat and tears. To my surprise The Blind Side is nowhere near that definition. The mix is there, but this time it’s about a much violent sport: life.

The film depicts the story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a traumatized young African-American (because “black” is politically incorrect) boy that had the misfortune of being born on the wrong side of town. Deprived of a decent education and financial comfort, his life so far has been a constant struggle that he had no choice but to accept and embrace. His life dramatically changes when by a stroke of luck and because his athletic abilities he gets accepted into a decent school. Soon after, he is taken in, sheltered and eventually adopted by the Tuohys, a white (because “European-American” is simply retarded) rich family. They provide him with the support he needs in order to overcome the new set of challenges he faces as a student and also encourage him to follow an athletic career in football. So far the plot may seem boring, but I can assure you it is not. The emotionally disturbing events fully make up for the movie’s lack of action, and the brilliantly constructed and presented bonds between the characters offer a solid foundation for the entire story.

Sandra Bullock’s performance in the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy is without flaw and the Oscar received for it is well deserved. She managed to perfectly blend together the successful business woman, the loving wife, the caring mother and last but not least the compassionate human being. Quinton Aaron’s role was far from being demanding, but that doesn’t mean he deserves less praises for successfully and convincingly filling the shoes of “Big Mike”.

The Blind Side is based on a true story and I always found these to be the hardest ones to do. Maintaining the accuracy of the story while in the same time trying to influence the viewer’s emotions by making them understand and relate to the character and the events depicted is without a doubt a difficult thing to do. This movie manages to do just that and in the end it comes out having the same value regardless if the viewer is aware or not that everything is based on true events and characters. The Blind Side is an emotional experience, a skillfully presented story that will appeal to your softer side, a humane portrayal of a not so humane reality.