The Blind Side is a biographical sports drama starring Sandra Bullock, which experienced a bit of resurgence in recent years. The film received critical acclaim and earned Bullock an Oscar win but became controversial because of some of its tropes and the complex real-life events that ensued after its release.
While the Bullock-led movie hasn’t aged well, the same cannot be said for a Denzel Washington movie from the same genre. Washington starred in the real-life inspired 2000 biographical sports drama film Remember the Titans. Although not as critically acclaimed as The Blind Side, the Washington-led film stands the test of time much better, and here is why.
Denzel Washington’s Remember the Titans aged much better than The Blind Side
Remember the Titans stars Denzel Washington as Herman Boone and is loosely based on the latter’s life as a high school football coach. Although the film received mixed reviews upon release, it grossed $136.8 million against a reported $30 million budget, emerging as a modest success (Box Office Mojo).
The film is comparable to The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, for its biographical nature, sports backdrop, and racial themes. Both movies have taken several liberties with the source material, with the Washington-led movie making several changes to facts (via Chasing the Frog).
However, Remember the Titans has aged remarkably well primarily because of how it handles its sensitive racial themes. The film wasn’t heavily marketed as a true story and instead thrived on the inspirational nature of the core conflict faced by its lead character. As a result, the film successfully steered away from the white savior trope.
In contrast, The Blind Side was marred with inaccuracies despite being marketed as a true story. Moreover, it subconsciously pushed the white savior trope that dilutes any kind of pathos regarding its handling of racial themes. Therefore, it is easy to understand why Remember the Titans is more inspirational and has aged well over the years.
Sandra Bullock’s The Blind Side became embroiled in controversy
The Blind Side was comparably more successful, grossing $309.2 million on nearly the same budget as the Washington-led movie (via Box Office Mojo). The film was also nominated for multiple Oscars, including a Best Actress win for Sandra Bullock.
However, the film has aged poorly because of its white savior trope and Michael Oher’s real-life legal issues with the Tuohy family. In August 2023, Oher filed a lawsuit alleging that the Tuohys had never really adopted him, unlike what was depicted in the movie.
In the lawsuit, the former footballer also alleged that the family created a conservatorship that allowed them to make millions from the rights to the movie. However, Oher himself did not receive any of the money (via ESPN). The conservatorship was ended in September 2024 (via AP News), with the Tuohys removing mentions of Oher’s adoption from their website.
Given the subsequent controversies caused by the movie, fans have often asked Bullock to return her Oscar. Moreover, the inaccuracies and falsehood propagated by the movie have become harmful and damaging following the lawsuit, leaving an overall poor legacy for The Blind Side.
Remember the Titans is streaming on Disney+.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
