White-Savior Narrative: Cinematic trope in which a white character rescues non-white characters from unfortunate circumstances. This white savior is often portrayed as a person who is out of place within their own society, until they assume the burden of racial leadership to rescue non-white minorities and foreigners from their suffering. (Wikipedia...ish)
The Blind Side is a movie based on the true story of a black man, Michael Oher, who overcame the obstacles of life to become a wildly successful American football player. Sweet, right? Usually, yes, but in this movie? No. Let me tell you why.
Michael Oher went from homelessness to the NFL on his own merits, skills, and hard work, but the film makes it look as though it's all because of the white woman in his life. This movie suggests that the best solution for the problems of black people is white people.
And if that isn't enough to convince you, Oher himself has been very critical of the movie that was inspired by his life's story, saying that it was hurtful since it portrayed him as not knowing how to play football until white people taught him. "You don't have to be saved by a wealthy white family, you can do it on your own. It is possible" he said in 2011 while addressing children living in poverty. Like most Hollywood films, they like to take some details of the true story and flip it to make it a "blockbuster hit". The truth is, Michael Oher was already a very good football player when the Tuohy family took him in, he had a bold and confident personality that was rubbed off on everyone he met which made him a natural leader. He was motivated, focused, knew what he wanted, but his environment didn't provide the adequate support. He was not a shy and introverted kid, he was a child from a terrible domestic environment who found stability and support with a nice rich family. If this movie chose to focus on the true story of Michael Oher and made him the lead character, this movie would not be controversial.
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