Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless African-American teenager, gets enrolled into a Christian private school because of his enormous size and agility. One of the coaches at the school espies him shooting hoops and recognizes his potential. However, even though his test scores are abysmal and he won't participate in class, a few of the teachers realize his ability to learn and begin to tutor him.

In the meantime, one particularly raw night in Memphis, as Michael is making his way back to the school gym to sleep, he encounters the Tuohys on their way home from a school function. Leigh Anne insists that he go home with them to spend the night on their sofa in their palatial home. Their young son, SJ (Jae Head), is thrilled, whereas their teenage daughter, Collins (Lily Collins), is less than, while their father, Sean (Tim McGraw), just shakes his head. He knows better than to argue with Leigh Anne once she has made up her mind. What begins as an "overnighter" turns into a permanent situation for Michael, as the entire family grapples with the ramifications of a wealthy family "adopting" an oversized black kid.

There are so many ways this film could have gone badly, but writer/director John Lee Hancock has taken Michael Lewis' book of the same title and made it into a believable, non-sentimental movie. I'm always harping about the writing, and in this film with this subject matter, it could have gotten nasty. But Hancock keeps it real, especially between Michael and Leigh Anne. This is a role made in heaven for Bullock, because she exudes just the right amount of chutzpah to pull it off. The football scenes with Leigh Anne telling Michael's coach how to play him, and explaining to Michael how his team is like his family, are priceless. And the revolving door of college coaches (played by the real life people) trying to recruit Michael and negotiating with SJ is equally entertaining.

Aaron, a newcomer, is simply marvelous as Oher. He never overplays his character, even when it would have been so easy to fall into that trap. Another of my favorite cast members is Kathy Bates as Miss Sue, Michael's full-time tutor hired by the Tuohys to help him bring up his GPA so he could qualify for a football scholarship. Bates is perpetually terrific and here she doesn't disappoint, especially when she feels the need to inform Leigh Anne that she's a Democrat before she can accept the job.

I suspect that there will be much written about the race issue and the hypocrisy of the accolades given the Tuohys, which is terribly unfortunate. Here was a family that saw a person in need and came to his rescue. It's funny, well written and best of all, true. Michael is now a rookie with the Baltimore Ravens ---- not bad for a once-homeless kid from the projects of Memphis.

If you can measure compassion in terms of gold, Leigh Anne (played by Sandra Bullock), would be a certifiable 24-carat jewel. With apparently nothing to gain and plenty to lose, she is the driving force in changing the life of Michael Oher. Bullock is terrific as the no-nonsense mother of two who first decides to drive Michael to her home, and ultimately convinces her husband to let him stay indefinitely. The casting of Bullock as Leigh Anne was a perfect choice, and her relationship with Oher (effectively portrayed by Quinton Aaron) builds gradually to a satisfying, albeit predictable, conclusion --- at this point, Oher is a rookie playing offensive tackle for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.

Country singer Tim McGraw plays Sean in a laid-back manner, and surprisingly well. Although Sean is the bread winner as owner of a host of Taco Bells, he recognizes the hierarchy in a home dominated by a strong-willed woman. So when Leigh Anne floats the idea of becoming Michael's legal guardian, she meets little resistance from her husband.

The best line in the movie occurs at a restaurant with Leigh Anne's quasi-snobby lunch bunch. When one woman asks how she feels about changing Michael's life, she pauses thoughtfully and replies, "No, he's changed mine". It's a particularly moving moment in a film full of them, and Bullock delivers with just the right amount of pathos.

Although Oher was considerably large, he had a difficult time playing his lineman position in high school, until Leigh Anne discovered he had a predilection for protecting others. She manages to convey this to Oher in such a way that he becomes a demon on the field, leading to All-American honors, a college scholarship and finally his professional contract.

This is an amiable film that will surely appeal to the masses. It could have been shortened by 15 minutes or so (the football scenes go on too long), but see it for the heartwarming story it is, and for Sandra Bullock's best movie in quite a while.