I saw the movie and liked it. Sandra Bullock was good as the strong and forceful Southern mama (Leigh Anne Touhy) and the story was incredible.But the book is better. First of all, the movie ignores the history of football the is the second major theme of the book. Lewis does a great job recounting the development of the left tackle position - defending the blind side of all right-handed quarterbacks - that occured as winning became paramount and quarterbacks became a highly valued commodity. And I learned a lot more as well. I now know what a "West Coast Offense" is and how much Bill Walsh (former coach of the San Francisco 49ers) contributed to the definition of modern football.
The movie, which focuses on Leigh Anne and Michael, also misses the contribution the entire Touhy Family makes to Michaels Oher's life, especially the Dad, Sean, and his rather eccentric and marvelous association with sports and kids in sports.
But most of all The Blind Side is a really inspiring picture of a fairly rich conservative white southern family and their decision to adopt Michael Oher - a poor, black kid who had spent so much most of his young life on the streets that basic concepts of home and school were totally foreign to him.
