A legal struggle between a retired NFL great and the family who helped raise him in the United States has thrown the 2009 hit film ‘The Blind Side’ into disrepute. Sandra Bullock, the film’s principal actress, is also under criticism for her Oscar-winning performance. Michael Oher, the inspiration for ‘The Blind Side,’ filed a lawsuit claiming that he was never adopted by the Tuohys as depicted in the film. Meanwhile, Ms. Bullock has stated that she is “heartbroken” to learn of the frightening allegations.
Sandra Bullock played Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film, which grossed $300 million at the box office worldwide
‘The Blind Side’ is the story of a struggling black adolescent living in foster care who attends college and becomes a star athlete with the support of a white family. It was based on the book ‘The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game’, which was published in 2006. It was written by Michael Lewis and tells the story of Mr. Oher, one of 13 children born to a drug-addicted lady who was “adopted” by the seemingly benevolent Tuohy family. Sandra Bullock played Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film, which grossed $300 million at the box office worldwide and millions more in home video sales, according to the BBC.
In his complaint, the 37-year-old claims that Sean and Anne Tuohy never officially adopted him but benefited from his success. According to court documents quoted by the BBC, the Tuohys duped Mr. Oher into signing away his legal right to use his name in commercial transactions when he reached 18. He said that the White family received millions of dollars in royalties from the film. He has tried to break his relationship with the Tuohys through the petition, claiming that he was never reimbursed for the film and “received nothing” for a story “that would not have existed without him.” So far, the filmmakers have remained silent.
Mr. Oher has spurred controversy about the negative “white savior” narrative, in which a white figure saves a non-white character from adversity. Ms. Bullock earned an Academy Award for her depiction of Leigh Anne Tuohy. However, some critics have urged her to return the award, questioning why she opted to pursue an unpleasant theme. “You might let Sandra Bullock off the hook about The Blind Side, but not me,” novelist Ola Ojewumi remarked on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, several have defended her, including her co-star Quinton Aaron.
“It is totally misguided and unfair to assign blame to her for the new and deeply disturbing allegations about the real-life story”
“Saying stuff like she needs to relinquish her title doesn’t make any sense,” Mr Aaron told TMZ Sports. “It is totally misguided and unfair to assign blame to her for the new and deeply disturbing allegations about the real-life story,” TV and film critic Richard Roeper said. New York Post quoted a person close to the 59-year-old actress as saying that she “hates” her hard work has been tainted. “She hates that such a wonderful story, a spectacular movie, and a spectacular time in her life now has been tainted. Now people won’t watch it and if they do, they will have a completely different reaction to its original intention,” the person is quoted as saying.
“There was so much hard work put into the film that they all thought was the truth, and now that has been questioned, it just upsets Sandra to no end that a time in her life that was so special, is now shadowed with a completely different perspective,” the statement further said.