Abstract: Michael Oher, a homeless black teen, is adopted by the Tuohy family and goes on to become a football star.
Pros:
-The acting in the movie is spectacular and the characters are well-developed. The best performances are Quinton Aaron as Michael, Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother who takes him in, and Jae Head as my favorite character, S.J. Tuohy, Michael's fun and energetic little brother.
-The film is an extremely accurate portrayal of the true story of the NFL star, including an investigation that occurs later in the plot that I thought was made up for dramatic effect.
-The movie includes a lot of humor with the gripping drama and uplifting message of the story, such as S.J. putting Michael through his own personal training camp.
-The Tuohy family is portrayed as selfless, loving, and genuine in their faith in Jesus. This is a refreshing change for an industry that normally depicts Christians (in particular white Southern ones) as stupid, bigoted, and racist. It's always refreshing to see a movie where the Christians are the good guys for a change.
-The use of "Ferdinand the Bull" as a motif for Michael's gentle nature was excellent, as well as the way in which Leigh Anne convinces him to be more aggressive in the field to protect his teammates.
Cons:
-There's a grammatical error in the Bible verse used in the archway of the school that completely changes its meaning. It should read "With man, this is impossible; With God, all things are possible" to be a proper quote, not "With man, this is possible, etc."
-One character says that another man is handsome in front of her husband and, prior to that, spanks a football coach. While the latter was funny and probably meant to show how much of a sports' enthusiast she was, it still came across as somewhat odd.
-One character who reaches out to help Michael early in the film simply vanishes from the movie.
Overall: Phenomenal-A touching story of what God can do through people who reach out to those who are in need.
(The image used is from moviemobsters.com. I claim no ownership whatsoever over this image.)
