DVD Corner

The Blind Side Blu-ray Review

“The Blind Side” was not worthy of any Academy Award nominations, but it’s still a watchable movie nonetheless.

Despite being based on a true story, “The Blind Side” still plays like a sappy Hollywood after school special. The film, which revolves around a quiet, homeless African American teen (Mike) who is taken in by a kind, wealthy, white Christian family (the Touhys), is supposed to be an inspirational feel good picture, but the entire story is watered down for the masses. This could have been a deeply affecting, poignant true story, but instead it’s a safe, straight forward big screen movie that never takes any risks.

Another thing I should mention is that this is NOT a football film. The main character Mike does indeed play football (and in real life even goes on to play for the Baltimore Ravens), but it’s not ABOUT football at all. It’s a by-the-book Hollywood melodrama plain and simple.

Sandra Bullock has been showered with praise and awards for her work in “The Blind Side,” and to be honest, she didn’t deserve it. Granted, this is probably her best role along with her work in “While You Were Sleeping,” but she does not give a Best Actress worthy performance here. With that said, she still carries the film alongside actor Quinton Aaron who plays Mike. The two have believable chemistry together and they make the important emotional scenes work.

Summary: “The Blind Side” is worth a rental.

The 1.85:1 1080p picture quality is as impressive as a touchdown. The colors are very crisp and clear looking from start to finish.

The 5.1 DTS-HD audio track is perfectly fine. This is not a big audio centric film, but the dialogue, occasional music, and the cheesy inspirational score sound sharp here.

Extras:
* DVD/Digital Copy.
* Warner trailers.
* 4 deleted scenes.
* Director John Lee Hancock and author Michael Lewis talk about everything from the book, the film to the real life people the film was based on.
* An interesting chat between Sandra Bullock and Leigh Anne Tuohy (the woman Bullock plays in “The Blind Side”).
* “The Story Of Big Quinton”- A featurette on the young actor Quinton Aaron who played Michael Oher.
* “Acting Coaches: Behind The Blind Side”- A look at the real life football coaches who appeared in the film.

* “The Real Michael Oher: An Exclusive Interview”- Certainly the most fascinating extra on this disc. I liked hearing the real story about Oher from the man himself. 

March 14, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 1 | High School Football, NFL, Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side Blu-ray Review