The Blind Side Movie Analysis

The movie Blind Side is a good example whereby it features a young impoverished black man who tries to figure his way out in life and is luckily rescued by a white family who raise him as their son then further support and motivate him towards a successful professional football career. This paper seeks to analyze the production and how various racial ideologies are portrayed in the movie especially through character development. The analysis will include a comparison of the perspective of the director and a biography of the main character, Michael Oher, in order to develop a clear argument. The embellishment of Leigh’s character portrays a higher regard for white parents. Making Leigh Anne Tuohy as the lead female character alongside Michael as the lead male character seems to portray inadequacies in black people, especially as parents.

The movie misconstrues Michael’s perspective of his experience during the first days in class and at the pitch which seems to reinforce the black-white binary opposition stereotype. According to the movie, Michael receives an odd reception from classmates when he first goes to school. The class scene is however not evident in his book. Moreover, when he received racial slurs from fans, Michael writes that flipped the bird as opposed to remaining silent as depicted in the movie. The movie only gives a single dimension of Hamilton’s character. Tuohy’s son is also seen teaching him the tactics of the game. However, Michael writes that “I already knew of football inside and out” which was eve before going into the pitch (Oher & Yeager, 2011, p.

Further reinforcing white savior mentality, Leigh tells a story where she says she read in a newspaper that a boy, who was very talented in athletic from a foster home and without a father, had been killed and talks about how he would have led a different life if only he had not dropped out of school. She seems to be comparing him with Michael and the difference she had made by raising him and taking him to school. Decontextualized racial binaries and shallow character development are also portrayed when teachers are seen discussing the probability of Oher succeeding in class owing to the fact that he is black. Although the Tuohys might have had the best intentions for Oher, the fact that the movie directors seemed to allude that they were the only ones who had the capacity despite to welcome a total stranger of a different color and treat him like their own might be interpreted as a way of portraying White -Americans as selfless and catalysts for the success of disadvantaged groups.

The character development criteria used include the use of white savior mentality where the Tuohys are shown to be the only concern parties although the Franklins and the Hendersons played a role. Omission and embellishment of the context of the true story for instance Michael being taught to play football and his portrayal of lack of aggression are evident. Use of perspective where the story is told from Leigh Tuohy’s perspective agency, the decontextualized racial outcome as evident with the low expectation of Michael Oher only because he is black and lastly, the depth of character development especially that of Michael Oher. All these factors contributed to the status quo where the whites reign supreme as the people of color, especially the black stay deficient.