Short Take: Involving and touching, its message gets through

Director: John Lee Hancock (The Rookie)

Screenwriter: John Lee Hancock (The Alamo), Michael Lewis (book)

Cast: Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality), Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road)

Length: 2h 8m

Synopsis: As a young child Michael Oher (pronounced “or”) and his brother were taken from their drug-addicted mother by Child Services. Afterword, he frog-leaped to and from several foster homes only to wind up alone on the streets. One night while walking along one of those streets the Tuohy family pulled over to him and invited him to their home. The well to do Tennessee family ended up taking Michael in and raising him through his final years of high school, where he earned good enough grades and did well enough in football to merit a high-profile status with college football coaches and recruiters from across the country. Eventually choosing Ole Miss, Michael went on to have an exceptional college football career and was selected 23^rd overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

Analysis: Based on Michael Lewis’ bestselling book of the same name, the film documents the events of Michael Oher’s life from right before he was taken in by the Tuohy family up until his enrollment into college. Being that this time period is arguably the most pivotal in Michael’s remarkable life story (that is, to date) it’s understandable that the film directs most of its attention here. By doing this, though, the film’s main message becomes different from the book’s – for better or for worse. It becomes less centered on Michael himself and more expansive in terms of who it’s trying to address.

Michael is portrayed as an extremely introverted individual. He’s shy, polite, keeps to himself, and constantly puts others ahead of himself. Never one to lash out verbally, Michael is an example of a case where still waters run deep. This portrayal of Michael challenges the audience’s perceptions and preconceived notions not just of disadvantaged black males, but people in general. Being one who lumbers about and doesn’t talk much, some might assume (as certain characters in the movie do) that Michael’s aptitude is considerably low. And being one who came from (to put it lightly) unfortunate circumstances, some might assume that Michael is secretly a very angry person who looks to express his emotions violently or through other counterproductive means. It should be noted that both of these assumptions are in Michael’s case proven to be incorrect.

This “don’t judge a book by its cover” lesson lies just under the surface of the film’s customized main theme, which could lead to a variety of receptions and interpretations. Said main theme refers to the film’s title and pertains directly to universal family ideals. Michael’s position in football is the left offensive tackle, which is meant to protect a right-handed quarterback’s blind spot or blind side (i.e. the side which faces the quarterback’s back as he stands with his shoulders parallel to the right sideline). Michael’s position in football stands as an allegory for the principle that family members should hold each other’s wellbeing above all else, and that if one is in a position to help or protect another family member he or she is expected to take whatever lengths needed to do so. In other words, it’s the creed that charity begins at home and that one is obligated to support their family members. Being that Michael’s story involves a rather large act of charity on the Tuohy’s part, one can argue that the film contests that we should extend the obligation of support and protection from the family to society in general. This idea then conceivably brings the “don’t judge a book by its cover” lesson into clearer view. Not only should one be charitable and extend that charity beyond the home, but that they should not be discriminatory when doing so. When looking for places and/or people to direct your benevolent intentions towards, do not base your decisions on exteriors and impressions. In order to be able to really help someone, you must first know what kind of help they need; And knowing this requires you to do some deciphering.

Rating: 7.0