Truth in "The Blind Side" is questionable

If one has ever seen a movie trailer where “based on a true story” flickered across the screen, a feeling of doubt and uncertainty usually fills the audience, as that phrase has been greatly stretched in past films. In the recent box-office sports hit, “The Blind Side,” the film attracted families across the country, but also raised the question of just how authentic this story was.
Told primarily from the point of view of Leigh Anne Tuohy, the spitfire mother, “The Blind Side” is about a suburban Caucasian family taking in a stranded African American teenage boy into their home and family.
Through his transition into the family, the Tuohys ensure that he gets the best they can give him – a home, education and an opportunity to play the South’s favorite sport of football. Michael Oher would later become one of the NFL’s own as he was drafted into the Baltimore Ravens last year.
While the film furvors that family favorite ideal of wholesome humor and a positive story, questions have been raised by critics over the authenticity of the portrayal.
In a “20/20” interview to promote the film, the real Michael Oher stated that some scenes, such as when Tuohy boldly explains how to play football during practice, were not entirely accurate. Just like most films based on “true stories,” artistic liberties are usually taken to make the movie more enjoyable from the producers’ perspectives.
It was also critiqued for highlighting what the Tuohy family did to increase Oher’s chances for college while not giving the offenseive lineman enough credit for his hard work.
However, the real Tuohy family would strongly disagree with this. “He wasn’t in need of academic help because he was already a very intelligent person,” said daughter Collins Tuohy. “He was in need of the tools to put all that intelligence together.”
His own determination was what led to his great success; the Tuohy family provided the opportunities to utilize his talents.
Alumnus Kyle Beck, who majored in Theatre Arts (and is an avid film blogger) felt that the film “should have been about Michael’s ability to help and improve himself when given the chance instead of Tuohy’s strong personality and desire to provide those opportunities.” A balanced portrayal may have been more appealing to a wider audience.
Criticized for the film’s emphasis on the family’s support of Oher, Melissa Anderson of the “Dallas Observer” stated that the film “peddles the most insidious kind of racism, one in which whiteys are virtuous saviors, coming to the rescue of blacks who become superfluous in narratives that are supposed to be about them.” In response to claims like these, the Tuohy family has emphasized (which has also been a prominent line in many of the promotional trailers) that Michael did more to change their lives than them his.
In the question of whether the authenticity of the film is questionable, there definitely were some scenes that obviously did not occur and were used for artistic and commercial appeal. However, if the family found that the center of their story was truly used then the efforts of this film were correct in doing so.