No offense to Bullock, who is a fine actor. The film would have been FAR better had it focused on Oher as the lead character, instead of Bullock. Sassy dialogue, woman-takes-charge scenes, tender moments, etc - all the usual stuff is there. But what we, the audience, receive is a Hallmark channel film that is nothing more than a lazy, formulaic, fictionalized "warm your heart" chick flick couched in a football world. It's a study in how important environment is in the life of kids and teenagers, and how it can make a huge difference. The real story of Michael Oher is how he caught the luckiest of breaks and escaped the ghetto jungle and was able to leave all that soul crushing crap behind, and focus on academics and athletics in a completely different upper middle class environment. He just came from a terrible domestic environment and found stability with a nice rich family. He was NOT a shy, introverted pathetic case. He was a motivated, focused kid who knew what he wanted, but came from an environment where no one really cared or provided support. And he had a bold, confident personality that rubbed off on everyone and made him a natural leader. In truth, Michael Oher was already a very good football player when the Tuohy family took him in. It resonates with white suburban do-gooder audiences, but it's just not accurate. That strengthens the focus on Leigh Ann's rescue actions, how she "saved" this poor aimless kid and gave him all the life skills he needed to succeed on and off the football field. The film loves the character of Leigh Ann (who is really not that interesting, although she is kind hearted and generous), and as a result, Oher is relegated to a shy over-sized charity case with no clue and no skills of any sort, other than his natural kindness and resilient character.
However, this film is pure Hollywood sap, a "feel good" movie that picks and chooses factual elements and builds a fictional tale around them. He took the material he was given and played the role very well. First of all, Quinton did a fine job in the lead role.