Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose family's story is the basis of the film, The Blind Side, says she hopes the Hollywood movie inspires people to make a difference.
Tuohy and her husband Sean took in homeless, poorly educated teen Michael Oher and, by offering their love and support as part of their family, helped the young athlete succeed in school and ultimately reach the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens.
The film version of their story stars Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as Leigh Anne and Sean, and Quinton Aaron as Michael. The film opened in theaters last weekend and earned more than $34 million at the box office.
Recently, Leigh Anne told reporters in LA:
"What I'd like people to take away from this is that Michael was basically homeless on the streets of Memphis and society had deemed him valueless...and you take a child in or an individual and you love them and you clothe them and you give them a home to live in and they feel secure and happy it can have a life-changing effect."
She went on to say that Oher is not the person he was when she and her family first met him:
"He's confident. He walks in a room and he commands an audience. He's successful. I know, obviously, I'm the proud mom, but he's done an amazing thing. How many Michael Ohers are walking on the street? You don't know that any kid or individual that you walk by, they could be the next teacher of the year or find the cure for cancer, and society has deemed them valueless. So, we need to do something about foster care and homeless kids in the eyes of America. There's a huge need for it. You don't have to go out and bring a child into your home, but you can do something. Everybody is capable of doing something, so whatever your something is, do it well. Make a difference."
Truly awesome and inspiring.
The best family movie I have seen in years. An inspiring film. If Hollywood would make a few more of these, I would go to the movies more than 5-6 times a year.
In, fact, my wife and I intend to go back and see this again.
Sandra Bullock deserves an Oscar for this film.
Posted by: canonpayne@yahoo.com | Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 08:31 PM