‘Blind side’ story of an unlikely football star

‘The Blind Side’ is the perfect mix of comedy, conflict and drama, although is not your typical holiday movie, looks at the importance of family.

Based on the true story of  Baltimore Ravens offensive left-tackle Michael Oher, this film takes us on the journey of his life from growing up in the projects of Memphis to being drafted into the NFL.

Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) as a child is taken away from his family and  becomes a ward of the state as his mother is a drug-addict. He moves from foster home to foster home but always ends up running away. Eventually he moves in with his neighbor, his wife and son Steven.

One day Oher, his neighbor and his neighbor’s son drive down to a prestigious Christian private school to try and get Steven enrolled there. But the football coach there takes one look at Oher as he is real tall as well as husky  and petitions to the school’s academic board to get Oher in, although he only has a 0.06 GPA. They allow him in, but do not let him play football until he raises his grades.

The neighbors he lives with are upset that he got in to the school and not their son, that they kick him out and he becomes homeless.

With nowhere to go Oher finds himself walking down the street in the rain headed towards his school’s gym to sleep. As he’s walking, a rich family the Touhy’s spot him and tell him to get in the car and stay at their house for the night.

Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock) makes him feel at home, but the next morning Oher leaves the house. As it is Thanksgiving day, Leigh Anne allows him to stay and eat with her family: her husband Sean Touhy (Tim McGraw), her son S.J. Touhy (Jae Head) and daughter Collins Touhy (Lily Collins).

The Touhy’s start to accept Oher as part of their family, eventually becoming his legal guardians.

They buy him clothes, a brand new car, and even give him his own bedroom which is when Oher says, “I’ve never had a bed before.”

Oher starts to change the lives of the Touhy’s, leading them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own.

Oher eventually raises his GPA making him eligible to play football for his school.

Unfortunately Oher has never played football in his life and is clueless to the sport. Football Coach Cotton (Ray McKinnon) begins to lose hope on Oher, but Leigh Anne goes up to Oher and tells him that the football team is like his family and that he has to protect them, as Oher ranked in the 98 percentile in protective instincts.

He’s so good that college football scouts from all over the country visit Oher to try and recruit him. But Oher is faced with a dilemma when his now 1.76 GPA is still too low to receive a football scholarship which requires at least a 2.5 GPA.

Eventually Oher raises his GPA to a 2.52 and chooses to attend Ole Miss University, as that is the university Mr. and Mrs. Touhy attended.

There Oher becomes an All-American offensive left tackle and was a First Round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, being selected by the Baltimore Ravens.

This film not only taught one to appreciate the things they have in their life, but to also look beyond certain prejudices  and to help improve the lives of those less fortunate.

It is a perfect family holiday movie.