Dear America: Get Over The Blindside

Sandra Bullock has had a huge year. Her hit comedy The Proposal only readied audiences for the oncoming avalanche of praise she was about to receive later in the year. Her most recent picture, The Blind Side, tells the story of…Wait do I really need to give a plot synopsis? I’m pretty sure the ENTIRE country has seen The Blind Side at least once considering its monstrous box office receipts. But now the film has been nominated for two Oscars, Best Actress for Bullock and Best Picture, and I cannot stand idly by without commenting.

Do not mistake this column as a hate filled rant about The Blind Side as a film, but as a plea for America to stop overreacting to a movie that is entertaining and heartfelt with nothing more.  Having seen the film twice, only once by my own volition, I feel completely in touch with its messages and believe I saw a little more than most people by viewing it twice.  Having said that, there is absolutely no way The Blind Side should be nominated for Best Picture.  There are countless films that were released this year that are more deserving, contain better performances and that challenge their audience.

I believe firmly that The Blind Side was nominated in a shear effort to grab ratings for the Oscars.  By nominating such a popular film that has some credibility being in the list it lets people in the midwest have a horse to cheer for in the race.  Though I ask anyone that has seen other nominees like The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds, and Up to honestly mention The Blind Side in the same breath of quality.  Whether its the social commentary provided in Hurt Locker and Up in the Air, the wildly imaginative and robust story of Basterds, or the sentimental yet distinctly unique story in Up, all these films bring more to the table.

My initial reaction to The Blind Side was enjoyment, and I liked Sandra Bullock’s performance as well.  I am comfortable with her being nominated and maybe even winning the Oscar for Best Actress, but I also believe her role could have been played, and better, by any number of 40-something actresses with a touch of credibility.  She plays the quintessential “soccer mom” transplanted into a football movie, which instantly draws a wave a appreciation from the masses.  She does play the role with strong conviction and offers moments of surprise throughout, most notably her ventures into the projects of their Tennessee town, but her performance is in no way strong enough to merit a Best Picture nomination in the same way Daniel Day-Lewis portrayal of Daniel Plainview really elevated There Will Be Blood to another level.

So why else might this film have been nominated? I believe that Family Guy’s interpretation of John Madden says it best…FOOTBALL!  It is no secret that Americans like their football.  And it’s also no secret that as Americans, we’re all suckers for an underdog sports story (see Rudy, Hoosiers, Rocky, Miracle, etc.).  So why wouldn’t the Academy want to nominate a movie for Best Picture that carries the weight of a Best Actress nominee, Football, and a sports underdog story?

Personally I smell a cheap cash in here, and if you don’t think so let me list some of the films that were looked over in order to put The Blind Side into Best Picture contention.

1. Duncan Jones’s Moon: A beautifully crafted sci-fi mystery that debates what it means to be human and the value of independence.  Critics Consensus from Rotten Tomatoes: 89%.
2. Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart: The story of fictional country music singer (Hello Midwestern Audiences!) Bad Blake and his attempt to resurrect a career after spending years playing in bowling alleys and drinking booze. Jeff Bridges looks to be a lock for the Oscar yet this film doesn’t get the nod?  Critics Consensus from RT: 92%
3. Oren Moverman’s The Messenger: Soldiers tasked with delivering the news of a soldier’s death to their loved ones.  A timely and imortant topic that also contains an Oscar nominated performance from Woody Harrelson.  Critics Consensus from RT: 90%
4. Greg Mottola’s Adventureland: A criminally under seen film from earlier in the year that features stand out performances from Jesse Eisenberg at his most twitchy, Kristen Stewart at her most vulnerable, and Ryan Reynolds at his most tormented.  Critics Consensus from RT: 88%
5. Tom Ford’s A Single Man: Again a Best Actor nomination for Colin Firth.  Not to be confused with The Coen Brothers’ A Serious Man, A Single Man highlights one man’s life in the 60’s after dealing the with the death of his long time partner.  Perhaps its underlying themes of loneliness, sorrow and…oh hell, it wasn’t nominated because it’s a movie that is a complete unknown to mass audiences and who’s lead character is gay.  We saw how that went with Brokeback Mountain.  Critics Consesus from RT: 83%

I pointed out the Rotten Tomatoes percentages above to showcase something.  The Blind Side received a 70% rating from RT critics, which is good.  But the other films averaged together carry a 91% RT rating, with the low end being Avatar at 82%. As previously stated, I believe that the Best Picture category was expanded solely for ratings.  Avatar, Basterds, Precious, Up in the Air, and The Hurt Locker are the only films I believe have a chance at taking home the trophy considering their Directors also were nominated.  The inclusions of Up, The Blind Side and District 9 in particular seem like a vein attempt at garnering a few thousand extra viewers because of those films like-ability and notoriety.  But I also believe this will become a pattern we see in the coming years.  So yes America, get over The Blind Side.  It’s good, but not THAT good.