The Blind Side Is a True Story - Mostly

by Devin Caldwell

The Blind Side is a much loved and highly successful film. It is in fact the highest grossing sports film of all time. It was nominated for numerous awards and took home quite a few of them. It purports to be the true story of professional football player Michael Oher and how he overcame the challenges of poverty and racial inequity with the help of the wealthy white family who eventually adopted him. While many of the real people in the film report that it is widely accurate, there have also been disagreements about the portrayal of some individuals, including Oher himself, and some of the events in the film.

The Portrayal of the Family

Leigh Ann Tuohy is a confident and powerful woman portrayed in the film as a woman who would do anything for her family. When she sees Michael on the side of the road in the cold rain she doesn't hesitate to pick him up. She then proceeds to do whatever is necessary to help him succeed. If a specialist had told her that light therapy would make Michael more successful, she would have immediately asked, "What is light therapy anyway, and where can I get me some?". Sandra Bullock's portrayal of Tuohy in the film won her both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best actress and Tuohy herself said that Bullock's interpretation was spot on.

The rest of the Tuohy clan had to deal with some typical Hollywood simplification of their lives. For example, daughter Collins was portrayed as a typical popular girl, cheerleader and homecoming queen. In reality, Collins Tuohy was a highly successful high school athlete who won the state championship in pole vaulting. Collins was also much more active in helping Michael than the movie shows. In an inspiring example of sibling loyalty, 18-year-old Collins actually dropped out of some of her advanced courses and enrolled in Michael's lower level classes in order to help him study.

The Story Behind the NCAA Investigation

The film version of The Blind Side simultaneously downplays the seriousness of this investigation while somewhat demonizing the investigator. In the movie the investigation is into whether or not the Tuohys were boosters for Ole Miss. In reality the allegations were more serious. The NCAA was very interested in whether the Tuohys had taken in a gifted black football player for the specific purpose of grooming him to play and win at their alma mater. Unlike the film version, the NCAA investigator never demanded that Leigh Ann leave the room while she questioned Michael. The interviews were actually conducted in the Tuohy home and Sean Tuohy was present the entire time.

There were also serious concerns that the Tuohys had used a series of tricks and loopholes to artificially elevate Michael's GPA to make him eligible to play college football at Mississippi State. They also used their wealth and Michael's designation as academically challenged to allow him to take the ACT exam multiple times with the assistance of his tutor. 

Michael Oher's Issues With the Film

Oher is effusive in his praise, love and gratitude to the family that adopted him; however, he has not been secretive about his dislike of the film. Oher has stated that the film minimizes the many challenges he faced and that it credits the Tuohys almost exclusively for his success while ignoring his own efforts. Although he has nothing but praise for the performance of the lead actor in the film, he has also stated that the character that the film portrays is far more introverted and isolated than he ever was.

Conclusion 

The differences between reality and the events in the film version of The Blind Side are not insignificant; however, the inconsistencies between real life and the film seem to be caused by the understandable need to craft a story that can be told cohesively and effectively within the limits of a film and not by any nefarious effort to deceive the audience. Regardless of how accurate the details are, the story the film tells is a moving one and the actors in the film tell that story very well.