NEIRAD
The Blind Side: The Book or the Movie?
By Ben Preston and Megan Archey - 10/01
Not Blind to the Better Book Form
By Megan Archey
“The Blind Side”, has been making headlines for being an inspirational film this winter. But, for those who were fans of the book first, the movie may have come as a disappointment. “The Blind Side” is one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it. Unlike my Neirad partner Ben Preston, I would say stick with the original printed form over the film adaptation.
The book follows the true story of a remarkably talented football player from Memphis’s slums. Michael Oher is a humongous giant. This teen stands, about 6’4 weighing in at 309 pounds. Michael is the perfect build for a left linebacker. Massive backside, enormous thighs, long arms, and gigantic hands “so that when he grabbed a hold of you, it meant something.” Oher was made for football, and yet as a 16-year old he has barely ever played the game.
As Michael Lewis puts it, “No one had had a very clear idea of who he was, where he came from, who is parents were—or even, truth be told, if he was a very good football player.”
Michael, or “Big Mike”, has never really done much of anything. He barely speaks; he is homeless and separated from his crack-addicted mother, and has a 0.6 GPA. It seems as if he has barely spent anytime in a classroom. Yet, somehow Michael finds himself trying to get into an elite Christian private school named Briarcrest. The school takes him in as a charity case. Here his black skin, large size, and meager wardrobe make him an alien among his peers.
Oher is failing every class due to his extremely poor reading ability. He also needs someplace to live, which is why he begins sleeping in the school gymnasium. It seems the only thing Big Mike has going for him is his exceptional athletic ability. His speed and size present a profile few students could even begin to match, Big Mike plays a little bit of football and throws the discus in track and field. But what he mainly loves to play is basketball.
Michael’s talent for basketball gets him noticed by former college basketball stud and self-made millionaire, Sean Tuohy. Sean has a daughter in Big Mike’s grade and takes an interest. Tuohy is known for financially helping the struggling athletes at Briarcrest, and at first Big Mike didn’t seem any different.
But then, his wife, Leigh Anne, gets involved. Leigh Anne is a rich, Memphis blonde who spends her time as an interior designer. Yet, Big Mike hits a soft spot and she takes him into her home where he is given his own room and his first-ever bed. Big Mike is taken off the streets and accepted into a new kind of family.
But, a big surprise is thrown at them when college scouts begin to hear of this boy’s incredible size, proportions, and raw athletic ability. Big Mike plays on the Briarcrest football team, but in all honesty, offers no real contribution. Michale has no idea what he is doing and he lacks aggression on the turf.
The school and the Tuohy family are overwhelmingly shocked when coaches from every major football school in the nation show real interest in having Big Mike on their team. With the help and love from his new family Big Mike is able to defy all the odds and creates a new and successful life for himself. But, when Michael decides to attend University of Mississippi it creates quite the controversy. Sean and Leigh Anne had both attended Briarcrest and people accuse the couple of taking Big Mike in so that they could prep him to become a football star at their other alma matter, Ole ‘Miss.
This book offers an amazing read. Michael Lewis does an incredible job turning this boy’s life into a book that would be loved by millions. Quotes incorporated from real life people give the reader a better sense of each character. Lewis keeps the book interesting with little side stories about the people who touch Big Mike’s life. For example, the man who first discovers Big Mike’s football potential and published him as a possible future NFL #1 draft pick in his yearly draft pick guide. The reader gets to learn not only about Big Mike, but also how this shutdown boy opens himself up to become a high school football enthusiast.
And if for those readers who aren’t the world’s biggest football fans, don’t worry; Lewis creates a great read for non-sports people and even includes some helpful footnotes to help them better understand this sport. It’s the story and the characters that are so intriguing to read about, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to be a sports fan. There is a lot of sports talk, but it wouldn’t be too hard to pick up on or understand if you do not know very much about sports. There are even some extremely useful footnotes. I strongly recommend that you read this book before going to see the movie. Yes, the film is entertaining and worth seeing, in my opinion, does not do it justice even if my Neirad colleague Ben Preston disagrees.
Which is better, the book or the movie?
"The Blind Side", originally a book, has been transformed into a hit movie.
Because of its success and access in two forms of media, it has become subject the same controversy as "Harry Potter", "Twilight", and other best selling series.
"The Blind Side" book, written by Michael Lewis.
"The Blind Side" movie, starring Sandra Bullock, in theatres now
Michael Oher and the Tuohy Family
NFL Star Blindsided by Kindness
By Ben Preston
“The Blind Side” is the true inspirational success story of a young man who is taken in by a rich Mississippi family and succeeds in his dream of reaching the NFL. This is definitely a movie worth seeing because it leaves viewers with that warm, happy feeling seeing the real-life success story of Michael Oher. This NFL star stands at 6’4 and weighs in at 309 lbs. Almost all muscle, Michael is now a 23- year-old left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens first round pick in the 2009 NFL draft and the 23rd pick overall.
“The Blind Side” is directed by John Lee Hancock. It stars Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, and Quinton Aaron. The story centers on Michael who was born in the third poorest zip code in the United States in Hurt Village in Memphis, Tenn. He grows up in a house with 13 brothers and sisters, all from different fathers. His mother is addicted to crack cocaine. At an early age Michael is taken from his mother by child services and sent to a foster home. He escapes and comes running back to his mother.
It was all by chance that Michael is able to make it into the Christian school, Briarcrest, where his football career begins. He was barely making it through school, getting D’s and remaining quiet in class because he was different than the other students.
This is a true success story because the viewer begins to feel for Michael and his newly adopted family as the movie goes on. Michael begins to form a family with the Tuohys, who welcome him in for Thanksgiving dinner; allow him to move in for a period of time; and eventually adopt him. Michael becomes more vocal and outgoing the more comfortable he becomes with the Tuohy family.
Sandra Bullock’s performance as Leigh Ann Tuohy, in my opinion is her best performance of her career. Leigh Ann Tuohy is a woman who can seem to be a fictitious concoction of a Hollywood screenwriter. She has the guts and the determination and the wits to know when to push people like Michael Oher to succeed. Sandra Bullock has to pull off acting like a crazy Southern woman who didn’t let anyone tell her what to do. There were a few scenes in the movie where Leigh Ann would walk onto Michael’s high school practice field and assume the coaching position, motivating Michael to be physical and dominant. When Michael runs away from the Tuohys because he is convinced they are using him, Leigh Ann drives her new BMW through Hurt Village, Michael’s old neighborhood, and threatened a drug dealer’s life if he doesn’t tell her where Michael has run. Bullock’s performance is one to remember and definitely see because she has the swagger and confidence that just makes viewers love her character.
Michael Oher’s character was played by first-time actor Quinton Aaron whose smile and quiet nature made him a perfect fit. The hardest part of finding someone to play Michael Oher is the stature the actor has to fill to equal the gigantic offensive linemen’s physical form. This movie was only the first success of this young actor’s career because Quinton Aaron had the charisma and the smile that lit up the big screen and drew attention from the nation.
Michael was a freak of nature for his stature. But it is what draws the attention from every big Division I football recruiter in the country. As Michael begins his recruiting the viewer sees how the family pushes him towards the University of Mississippi, where he will ultimately end up.
An interesting side note – the film features cameos from the actual football coaches from the universities that were recruiting Michael at that time: Nick Saban, from LSU; Philip Fulmer formally of the University of Tennessee, and Lou Holtz from South Carolina. The real-life Michael Oher isn’t visible until the end of the movie, connecting an opening scene flashback as the NCAA challenges Michael’s legitimacy to committing to Ole Miss.
Michael has thoughts the Tuohys, both graduates of Ole Miss, only bring Michael in and welcome him to their family to convince him to pursue his collegiate career at Ole Miss. Michael begins to second guess why the Tuohys would want him. He opts to return to Hurt Village. It was proven by the NCAA that Michael wasn’t brought into the Tuohy family to attend Ole Miss. I felt that this allegation was an insult to the Tuohy family because they were doing their Christian duty in helping a poor boy, who had no home, and saved this poor kid’s life. Despite this angle, “The Blind Side” is a heartwarming movie and will make your eyes water, laugh hysterically, and feel for the life of Michael Oher.
