The Blind Side A Great Movie About Foster Care and Adoption
The Blind Side: Great Movie About Foster Care and Adoption
From The Streets to the NFL: A Journey of a Talented and Hard- working Foster Child.
The Blind Side, starring actress Sandra Bullock, is one of the highest-grossing sports movies of all time. It holds an IMDB rating of 7.6/10 and a global box office grossing of $309,208,309, which is a ten-fold profit for film producers. The movie was also an overwhelming success for Bullock. She won her first Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Actress in a Drama Motion Picture, both in 2010.
Bullock portrayed Leigh Anne Tuohy, a mother and wife, who brought an African-American male teen into their home, who was in the child welfare system and a product of poverty.
The Blind Side producers effectively characterize the true story of Michael Oher beating the odds on his journey from foster care to the NFL. Oher was a child who raised himself, a true survivor of neglect due to his birth parents' substance abuse and incarceration. His father's life ended while he was incarcerated.
The story does, however, fail to give the entire backstory of how talented Oher was at football before Tuohy's family adopted him. Oher was ranked as the 5th most-promising offensive lineman in the U.S. when he was in high school. He was also ranked as a 5-star player by Scout.com. One could therefore suspect that his talent on the football field was in his DNA.
Oher might have never played college football without being fostered and subsequently adopted. He was a student that struggled academically and initially failed to meet NCAA Clearinghouse regulations. By the time he started his first year of high school, his GPA was 0.6.
With hard work, consistent academic instruction from the school community, and the support of his foster parents and foster family, he raised his GPA to 2.57. That met the criteria for him to play at his chosen school, Ole Miss.
This movie is the perfect feel-good movie to enjoy with the family. Though it shows an idealized version of what you can expect from fostering a child, it also shows the capabilities of children in social services who have been abused or neglected. They can achieve amazing things when given a chance to reach their full potential. Oher once wrote, "I'm not dumb, I just wasn't educated" which shows the importance of opportunity for children who haven't been given it.
Currently, in Virginia, only 4% of foster kids achieve a college degree by the age of 25 despite being entitled to full scholarships paid for by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Due to the challenges of maintaining their own welfare at 18 and having minimal support from family, these young adults struggle with maintaining basic needs while completing a college education.
This movie shows the inspiring possibilities that come from working hard and having the support of a loving and caring family. With great acting from all cast members and the many cameos from the entertainment and sports world, this movie will keep the Google searches going well after the film has concluded.
In 2005 Oher was drafted 23rd out of 256 players and joined the Baltimore Ravens. In 2013 himself and his team, the Ravens, went on to win the Superbowl XLVII. Oher is reported to have made over $34 million during his time in the NFL.
His personal view of the movie is well-reported, though he is not a big fan of his portrayal in the film. Oher feels that his personality wasn't put in good light and portrayed him more as an introvert. In real life, Oher is an outgoing and fun-loving community-focused guy. He remains friends with Sandra Bullock, and his family members are still passionate alum fans of Ole Miss.
I hope you enjoy the movie, The Blind Side. Additionally, if you want a great read, this movie was adapted from the Michael Lewis book "The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game."