Paradoxically, millions of you ran out and made a hit out of The Proposal,despite the fact that pretty much every critic from here to Timbuktu told you it was no good. If The Proposal highlighted Sandra Bullock’s one tendency to go for the lazy and clichéd mismatched romantic comedy, then The Blind Side shows off her other tendency to go for the sappy and manipulative family dramedy. And that’s why it pains me to say that despite the usual trapping of the based-on-a-true-uplifting-story-from-the-world-of-sports premise, The Blind Side made me a believer. Filmmaker John Lee Hancock ably shows that he knows how to pull all the right strings to get the audience to come along and laugh, cry and cheer at all the right moments.

The film is based on a book by author and journalist Michael Lewis called The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. The first half of the book described how New York Giants’ football legend Lawrence Taylor revolutionized offensive strategy in the NFL by reinventing the role left tackle. However, the second half of the book, and the sole focus of the movie, chronicles Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher, whose underdog story is ready-made for movie magic. Oher came from a background of parental neglect and poverty, and was given a chance to obtain a proper education at private Christian school. After getting his grades up he was able to play high school football, which got a scholarship to play college ball, and eventually becoming a first-round NFL draft pick.

What’s startling about this movie is how Hancock’s direction and script could have been a three-hanky weeper. But instead it remains remarkably tight and emotionally restrained. There’s no sappy or false emotion in The Blind Side, though there is a fair bit of “it’s-too-good-to-be-true” idealism. It’s one of those films designed to make you say, as Night Court’s Selma Hacker once put it: “I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me.” But all jocularity aside, Hancock could have emphasized the schmaltz a story like Oher’s can create, but instead he focused on the humour that came from the family dynamic. Although I think the film skirts some of the seedier aspects of Oher’s life, especially before he came to live with Leigh Anne Touhy and her family, there’s a genuine quality that comes out of way the actors in this movie play there roles as an ensemble.

Much of that credit goes to Bullock for her portrayal of Leigh Anne, a grand southern dame that takes pity on the homeless Michael, and gives him a roof over his head and a future he can look forward to. Bullock manages to walk the fine lines of parody and caricature to make Leigh Anne a well-rounded character. Playing her husband Sean, Tim McGraw doesn’t get to do a lot, but he does make a great foil for Bullock and creates a decent amount of chemistry with his onscreen wife. Quinton Aaron plays Michael Oher, and it’s kind of difficult to judge what he’s doing because I honestly don’t know if the real Oher is that stoic and neutral. I take it on good faith that he is, and Aaron suits the part of gentle giant and brings moments of emotion to the role. Mostly though, Aaron seems to leave it to the actors around him to help him put his performance where it needs to be.

Typically, around this time of year, we always get one of these movies, - and by “these” I mean an uplifting, this-actually-happened, football film. Although I usually can’t usually deny how formulaic and manipulative these films are, they do work for a reason and I tend to be as helpless a victim to them as any other moviegoer. This time though, I think the good vibrations delivered by The Blind Side are easy to accept because the emotion’s not being manipulated. There’s definitely a tangible reality to the story, although one can definitely see the pencil marks where the grittier details were cleaned up. But overall, this is a feel-good story you can feel good about watching and recommending. Sandra Bullock, you’ve redeemed yourself for The Proposal - the rest of you that made it a hit still have some work to do.