Sports fans who saw the movie noticed some familiar faces, especially in the coaches. The reason for this is that many of the coaches in the film are current or retired football coaches. For example, Houston Nutt plays the coach for the University of Mississippi in the movie. In reality, Nutt was really the coach for the University of Mississippi from 2008-2011 and prior to that, he was the coach of the University of Arkansas from 1998 to 2007.
Other portrayals include Ed Orgeron, who is now a coach at the Louisiana State University team after being the coach at Ole Miss for 2 years. Another coach in the film was Phillip Fulmer, who was once the football coach for the University of Tennessee for just over 15 years.
Sandra Bullock
When Sandra Bullock appeared in The Blind Side, she already had an impressive resume. She starred in Speed opposite Keanu Reeves. She also starred in another pretty successful commercial film the same year The Blind Side hit theaters: a romantic comedy called The Proposal.
But, The Blind Side did a lot to redefine Bullock’s career. She not only received an overwhelming amount of critical acclaim, but she also won some major awards for her performance. To top off her successes, she celebrated a record being broken. For the first time ever, a female actress was the only name to appear legible above the film’s title.
Legacy Of A Champion
The Blind Side was deemed as an enjoyable movie, despite some inaccuracies. It even received favorable reviews from the most serious critics. The film garnered a reputation at both prestigious events like the Golden Globes and the Oscars and at the box office. As you've seen, it was a major milestone for Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron alike.
The Blind Side had a fairly modest budget of just under $30 million. It ended up racking in much more than that at the box office, $309.2 million, to be exact. Owing to its huge profit, the film has won the title as the highest grossing sports film in history.
Picture Perfect
One of the most momentous moments of the film is at the Thanksgiving scene. The Tuohy family are crowded around the table in the cozy home, sharing a warm Thanksgiving meal together. Everything seems pretty much perfect, even the golden-colored turkey. But, If you look closer, you might notice something.
Well, at least if you're an art enthusiast you would pick up on this detail. When Leigh Anne placed the turkey on the table, the scene quickly transforms into a copy of the famous painting by Norman Rockwell called “Freedom from Want.” While it’s not clear whether this was intentional, it was a nice addition to the film that captured the unmistakable bond of family over the holidays. This scene is also meaningful because it shows the Tuohy family seated together around the table, something that they did not just do because it was Thanksgiving. Michael Oher often convinced his new family to sit with him at the dinner table. In real life, it happened most nights because it felt special to him to have that. Sean Tuohy later joked in an interview: “He made us sit around the dinner table. If we were going to spend time with him, we’d come eat at the table. We haven’t eaten at the table since he left."
Devoted to Good
The Ole Miss spirit is strong and present in the film, of course. After all, Collins and Leigh Anne Tuohy, as well as Michael Oher all attended the school. Any family that’s a big fan of football would take pride on such a lineage.
But, this is not actually the first time that Sandra played an Ole Miss alumni. In 1996, she played in the drama A Time to Kill. Her character, Ellen Roark, an eager law student, attended Ole Miss for her undergraduate degree.