Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Ray McKinnon, Kathy Bates
Rating: 3/4 stars
I went into this movie expecting a load of sentimental hogwash the likes of Freedom Writers, Rudy and Mr. Holland's Opus. I was pleasantly surprised to find nothing of the kind. OK, well, not nothing of the kind, there were definately some moments of tearjerkiness, but overall, it was an "inspirational" movie that was actually inspirational. As much as I hate to admit it, I am kind of a sucker for a hollywood "inspirational" movie, but this one was surprising. While it did have some of the old cliches (cracked-out mother, society snobs, workout montage), It also had a heart that rang totally true. There was no artificial emotion to be found, and most of the credit for that goes to Bullock, who totally deserves her impending Oscar nomination. She delivers an understated and effortless performance, and takes some unexpected turns. OK, so the moment when Tim McGraw is reciting and interpreting Tennyson while Kathy Bates cries quietly did make me want to barf. But that was really the only scene that was hard to watch. The rest was pretty delightful. My only hope is that the real life Michael Oher doesn't become a hooker-screwing pro athlete!
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