'The Blind Side' Ending, Explained: The Film Has Become Controversial With Time

The Blind Side, the infamous 2009 film starring Sandra Bullock as a determined white woman dead set on changing a young Black football player’s life, has gone down as one of the most egregious instances of “white savior” syndrome. But if you’ve watched the movie, you might want more of an explanation as to what went down. Here’s a brief overview of what happened.

The real-life story of ‘The Blind Side’

The film is supposed to be based on the real-life story of former NFL star Michael Oher, who grew up in poverty and was rescued by the Tuohys, a rich family in Tennessee led by its matriarch, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) and her husband Sean (Tim McGraw). The Tuohys connect with Oher (Quinton Aaron) after learning more about his home life–his mother Denise (Adriane Lenox) is a drug addict and he doesn’t have any relationship with his father; in fact, he doesn’t even know who his father is. He’s also failing out of high school, with most of his teachers, save for his science teacher, Mrs. Boswell (Kim Dickens), feeling he’s a lost cause.

Led by Leigh Anne’s instincts, the Tuohy’s take Oher in, help him with his schooling, and reform him into a young man with tons of opportunities ahead of him in life. One of those opportunities happens to be football. When Leigh Anne discovers Oher’s talents, she goes all out to get him the best training and find the best college football program for him. The Tuohys also adopt Oher, instantly giving Oher the loving parents and siblings (Lily Collins and Jae Head) he never had.

At one point in the film, the NCAA feels like there could be something more nefarious at work with the Tuohys. They investigate the family based on concerns they only adopted Oher so he could play for her alma mater, The University of Mississippi. Michael learns of this and decides to go back to his old apartment complex to look for his birth mother, only to get in a fight with one of his old friends after they insult his relationship with Leigh Anne.

Leigh Anne eventually finds him and tells him she will support any decision he makes regarding his choice of college. But Oher chooses Ole Miss anyways; he tells the investigator that he wants to go there because his family–the Tuohys–went there. The film ends with The Tuohys, particularly Leigh Anne, having a tearful farewell to Oher as he goes off to college, on the path to become the NFL star he is today.

The initial “white savior” controversy of the film

There are two levels of controversy surrounding The Blind Side. The first happened during the initial release of the film, with some viewers and many critics feeling like the film was a “white savior” film. It fits the criteria, since Leigh Anne rescues Oher from a financially and emotionally unstable home life and sets him up for a career in the NFL.

However, the one thing that kept some people from truly lambasting the film was the fact that it was supposed to be based on a real story told by Oher himself. That defense came crashing down as recently as 2023, when Oher revealed that The Blind Side isn’t his story at all.

Michael Oher says ‘The Blind Side’ is not true to what happened

According to ESPN, Oher petitioned a Tennessee court last August to declare that the story in The Blind Side “was a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense.”

Oher alleged that even though the Tuohys did take him in, they never adopted him. He alleges that three months after he turned 18, the Tuohy’s “tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name.” He claims the conservatorship allowed the Tuohys and their children to make a deal that earned them “millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story ‘that would not hav existed without him.'”

To that end, he alleges, the Tuohys have kept up the ruse that they adopted Oher in order to “promote their foundation” and Leigh Anne’s career as a motivational speaker and author. Oher wanted the court to end the conservatorship and keep the Tuohys from using his name and likeness. He also wanted the court to seek a full account of the money the Tuohys allegedly made from the film and his name with the intention of having the family pay him his share plus “unspecified conpensatory and punitive damages.”

What the Tuohy family says about the claims

According to ESPN, Sean told the Daily Memphian that he was stunned by the petition and alleges that he and his family never made money.

“We’re devastated,” he said at the time. “It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.”

What Sandra Bullock thinks about ‘The Blind Side’ controversy

Bullock has also sounded off on the controversy. The Mercury News cites The Daily Mail, which reported that Bullock was supposedly devastated after hearing Oher’s claims. A source told The Daily Mail that Bullock put so much work into a film that was believed to be based on a true story, and now she upset “to no end” that a project that was special to her “is now shadowed with a completely different perspective.”

What do you think about the film?