Gary North

Feb. 27, 2010

The Blind Side was a low-budget movie: $35 million. At last report, it had grossed a quarter of a billion dollars. This is before the Oscars, which Bullock may win. This is before DVDs. The money has rolled in.

Bullock is a good actress, although she has been type-casted as the girl next door who lived next door to somebody else. This time, she has made the transition to the good old girl next door.

I saw the film. I used to live within 30 minutes of where the family in the movie live. The movie's portrayal of the area looks real to me.

I saw the now-teenage son interviewed on TV. He said of Bullock, "She had my mother down to a T." After seeing the mother interviewed, I drew the same conclusion. I had described Bullock's performance in a letter to a friend: no-nonsense.

The movie is about a rich family. It does not indicate how rich. The family flies in its personal jet each week to see "Big Mike" play for the Ravens. That isn't cheap.

The film is not about money. It's about commitment. The money it cost to take Michael Oher into their home was minimal. The commitment was enormous. Oher's commitment to make it academically was also very great. This was no picnic.

Memphis schools are bad. He was a near drop-out in those schools. He had no education. A Christian school gave him a shot at making it. Did that pay off! The school has become famous, even though its name is changed in the movie.

The movie works because it's true. It works because it appeals to people's sense of justice. It appeals because the payoff was huge for Oher. It is also huge for the producers. If Bullock gets a piece of the action, she will be even richer.

She is generous with her money in a low-key way. She donated $1 million to the tsunami victims. Her spokesman announced it; she did not exploit it. That's OK with me, because it encourages others to do the same. The world knows she is rich. No one thought, "What a huge sacrifice!" If people paid any attention at all, they should have thought: "Good for her. That's reasonable. She's got it. She gives some of it away. Maybe I can send a few bucks, too."

But what has Sam Walton got to do with it? Walton developed a marketing strategy: "Go to the places that the big department chains ignore." He built a huge operation before he invaded their turf. He crushed them.

The Blind Side is working in medium-size towns: Nashville (smaller than Memphis), Birmingham, and such. It is a movie about Christian values presented in a low-key way. The market is in the comparative hinterland.

Most movies open in New York City or Los Angeles. Not this one. I saw it in a small suburb an hour outside of Atlanta.

Thirty years ago, Chariots of Fire pulled off a similar Walton move, just about the time that Wal-Mart invaded the bigger cities. No one noticed, but churches did. They sold discount packets of tickets to local churches in smaller cities. That strategy worked. Then it won the Oscar.

Every red-blooded man likes Bullock in a girl-next-door way. When she appeared on Today, Matt Lauer was in Vancouver. He didn't get to interview her. He barged in by satellite. "Sandra, you look stunning." He was right, of course. Her instant response: "Thanks, Matt, but it all washes off in the shower." Perfect!

She won the Golden Globe for best actress. She beat Meryl Streep's Julia Child. As far as I can tell, there is Meryl Streep, and then there are all the rest. All the rest seem like fine performers to me. I can't tell the difference. But Bullock got the right part: a woman her age who was worth portraying on-screen. Bullock has her down to a T.

I attended church in a Memphis neighborhood like the one Michael Oher lived in as a child. I had no trouble. Young men with attitude are not up and around on Sunday morning. They don't bother senior citizens, especially one driving a 1993 Dodge minivan that needs a paint job. (When I finally spent $500 to get it painted, several members of the church complimented it. They never said it, but I think they thought the van had made the parking lot look bad.) Still, I could relate to Bullock's response to one hood in the 'hood: "I belong to the NRA, and I'm packing." The hood got the message.

I told the pastor that I'll pay for every teenager in the church to see The Blind Side. That's a movie they need to see. So do you.

The true story is really more amazing than the movie version, especially the search for new clothes.