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Article Date: Nov 20, 2009
It’s not a football movie. It’s not a chick flick. It preaches without being preachy. It’s PG-13, but a movie families should consider watching together.
“The Blind Side,” out in theaters beginning today, stopped short of bringing me to tears—and I never did get the gist of the football replay at the beginning which engaged my husband from the start—but its real life implications were provocative enough to keep me wanting more throughout.
Few movies captured my heart like this one. Based on the true story of Michael Oher, an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, there is drama and action, but most of all, heart.
Sandra Bullock plays the part of Leigh Ann Tuohy, a strong Southern woman who brings the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) to life—with zest, wit and compassion. Quinton Aaron plays the part of Oher, a young man who asked for nothing, but eventually gains a “Forever Family.”
There are famous college coaches who parade through the movie. Then there are teachers with whom those of us who have been in the high school classroom will identify. There is irresistible sibling interplay. And for some who have lived on both sides of socioeconomic and racial divides, there are all too vivid reminders of what its like to live in what Oher in the movie calls a “white wall” surrounding him.
With November being National Adoption Awareness Month when our own Florida Baptist Children's Homes gives special focus to adoption, there couldn’t be a more fitting movie to highlight the plight of “special needs” children, including those who are older than 12 and who are in need of their own “Forever Families.” The story of Omon Mims and the remarks by Natalie Mims about “blending” came to mind when I was previewing “The Blind Side.”
Like most movies, “The Blind Side” is not for younger children who won’t get the story. There is some violence and there is an honest portrayal of abandonment.
But there is also a deep sense of “doing the right thing,” because of Christian values, because of Christian love. These ideas flow freely throughout the movie.
Skeptics will say the movie appeals to white audiences because it is about people wanting to feel better about themselves, to be what has been referred to as “the great white hope.”
More importantly for believers of all races, we should remember the story of the Good Samaritan. We should remember that to look across barriers which divide us—economics, race, culture—in order to reach out to a hurting individual and embrace them with the love of Christ that is within us, is the right thing to do.
I believe that is what Tuohy thought, what she believed, based on other reports I have heard about her and her family and about the Christian school which reached out to Oher. Despite the hype, despite the cynicism people might express over the movie itself, let the story, the reality of it strike you as you watch it unfold.
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