'Blind Side' plays it safe as holiday tear-jerker

There's nothing about "The Blind Side" you don't see coming. Director John Lee Hancock hits all of the familiar family and sports notes that drive these kinds of movies. There's nothing wrong with that formula, especially at the holidays. It just would have been nice if Hancock hadn't played it quite so safe.

Teenager Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) is living on the streets of Memphis. One night he's spotted, alone and cold, by local socialite Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock). She's the kind of Southern woman who doesn't accept no for an answer, and soon Oher is a guest in the Tuohy house. Over the next few months, he goes from guest to being part of the family.

Oher has a gift for playing football and becomes the best offensive tackle in the nation (eventually leading him to the University of Mississippi and now his rookie year with the Baltimore Ravens). Left tackle is one of the most important positions on a football team because he protects the quarterback's blind side.

The script is based on the parts of Michael Lewis' book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game," that focus on Oher.

Hancock's family-friendly script stays away from some tough issues. There are plenty of openings -- especially with race -- but there are only a couple of conversations about the Tuohys bringing a young black man into their home and the overall social problems in Memphis. Those topics are quickly skirted and then dismissed.

That time is ill spent as Hancock brings everything to a stop with a long segment about Oher being recruited by college coaches. He cast real coaches, such as Nick Saban (formerly of LSU, now of Alabama), Phil Fulmer (formerly of Tennessee), Ed Orgeron (formerly of Ole Miss) and Lou Holtz (formerly of South Carolina). The section about the coaches -- who leave little doubt about why they never had careers as actors -- ends up like a bad halftime show: You just want to get back to the action.

Bullock turns in a first-rate performance and Tim McGraw continues to show he has some acting skills. They just don't have enough with which to work.

"The Blind Side" is like kicking a field goal in a football game. It scores but with a little more effort could have been a touchdown.