Every so often a movie comes along that is well-deserving of all of the hype that is allocated to it. This is one such movie. In short, it ranks as one of the greatest sports movies ever made - not the least of which due to the fact that it is based on the true story of Michael Oher.

One of the more notable aspects of this film is just how little of it takes place on the football field. This is a movie about Michael Oher the person more than it is Micheal Oher the football player. In spite of being about 6'8 & > 300lbs, we find Oher to be someone who is as uniquely human as the rest of us. People who automatically believe that sports movies = zero plot will be quite surprised after giving this one a viewing.

Likewise, very little focus is on Oher's HS football team. It shows them winning from time to time & it shows Michael holding the league championship trophy. However, the other players on the team only have bit parts and we know very little about them.

Rather than being about a team's quest for a championship, this is a movie about a young man's involvement in the college football recruiting process. It is also centered around his desires to escape his past and make the grade while fending off racism at a ritzy all-white private school.

At its core, however, this is a story that shows how a little bit of kindness can go a long way towards making the world a better place. Even in the sadistic, twisted time in which we live, it's good to know that magnanimity has not entirely gone out of style.

Acting wise, this is one of the most well-done films I've ever seen. There was not a single weak performance in the movie, and there are not too many movies I can say that about. The casting office came through with flying colors!... Sandra Bullock's Oscar was well deserved, and Quinton Aaron is perfect as the gentle giant with puppy dog eyes. Cameos by college coaches such as Nick Saban, Lou Holtz & Phil Fulmer were a nice touch.

Whether you love Sandra Bullock or merely adore Sandra Bullock, this is a heartwarming movie that will stay with you forever. If, after watching this movie you're not stirred in the least, I would highly recommend that you check your pulse to ensure that you still have one!

Tim McGraw is by far one of the best country artists out there who has been around for awhile and still making #1 hits. This is the best of the best all in one album. Clearly an amazing deal- scoop it up now and enjoy a man who is easy on the eyes and ears!

I love this song it is wonderful.l I will buy any song by this singer. his voice is amazing. Please keep singing.

I really loved this movie. I went back and watched it again with my daughter and she liked it to. The music is great but so was the movie. It was about all 4 main people and how their lives were changed because of each other. It's a movie I plan to buy. I bought the cd after watching the movie. The music is really great.

Kelly Canter (portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow) is one of the biggest country music stars on the planet, and she's also struggling with many demons. A year after a tragic (and very public) accident in Dallas derailed her career, Kelly has emerged from rehab, and is quickly sent back on the road by her husband-manager James (Tim McGraw). James, who is now more Kelly's manager than husband, recruits a singing beauty queen named Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester) to join Kelly's "Encore" tour. Kelly, enamored during her rehab stint with a musically talented intern named Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund), insists that he supports Kelly on the tour, as well. James agrees, but only on the condition that Beau's role is sponsor first, musician second. The complex layers of relationships among the main characters is the essence of 'Country Strong'.

All of the actors turn in very convincing performances, Hedlund's not the least among them. Hedlund's turn as a gifted musician more in love with music than with the idea of fame is second only to Paltrow's authentic depiction of the troubled superstar. McGraw gets better with every role that he receives, although his character range might be limited. Meester's interpretation of the "Country Barbie" has legs, and healthy ones at that. Her character was the most well developed in the film, start to finish.

As the writing goes, I found it to be a little sloppy. The emotional pendulum swings so quickly and frantically among the characters, that it becomes difficult to get invested in even one of them, let alone all of them. The story is not difficult to follow, but some instances of interaction are questionable, if not unbelievable. There are also elements surrounding the film that even make it feel a little dated.... That said, I did find the pacing of the film to be solid and steady. I also found the victories and defeats that the characters experience I found to be a plus for the movie.

The true strength of 'Country Strong' is the music that is woven throughout the fabric of the story. The variety of country music sub-genres (from classic country to the current, dominant pop-style of country) are all great, and I consider myself a casual country music fan, at best. The real tragedy is that not all of the songs in the film are on the official soundtrack. Paltrow has at least three top-quality songs in the film, all of which she performs herself. She sounds like someone who has been performing country her entire life. Meester's "Words I Couldn't Say", which she also performs on her own, is potentially a #1 single for her. It's really that good. Overall, this might actually be an instance where the soundtrack will outlast the popularity of the movie it originates from.

'Country Strong' amounted to something of a predictable ending, but knowing the destination didn't make the journey any less worth taking for me. As I type this, Rotten Tomatoes critics have this film at 17%. I find this rating to be very unfair, and very harsh. This is an entertaining film that will satisfy the majority of those who spend their money to see it.

I go to see movies all the time while they are still in release.

At this time of year we have high profile movie offerings like A Christmas Story, New Moon (same vampires), and the world coming to an end with 2012. So. it's easy for this movie to get lost in the shuffle.

It would have been so easy to miss this movie, and such a mistake to do so. For, this is one of the best movies of the year, and one of the few I recommend whole heartedly.

Sandra Bullock gives probably the best performance of her career, playing Leigh Anne Tuohy, a tough business like mom, who sees big Mike, a young oversized kid who never had a role model, and who never did well academically, because he had no reason to believe in himself. He is the underdog we love to root for.

The Tuohys take him in to their plush house, and we get drawn into the experience, perhaps sucked into this story might be a more apt description. Yet Mike has a hidden gift which others like the sports coach can identify, and other teachers start to have faith in him, so who knows what will happen.

If you're like me it's a movie about the importance of a mentor and believing in people, the more you believe in them the more they start to believe in themselves. If you like this one, I also recommend Akeelah and the Bee, another five star movie. In its first 14 days The Blind Side has done over $108 million at the box office, assuring that it will be one of the big hits of the year.

While the Academy does not typically reward comedies with awards, Sandra Bullock may get a nomination, and so might the writers for best adapted screenplay, and she might win a Golden Globe for her performance....

A point of interest in the movie is Lily Collins daughter of Phil Collins who plays Sandra Bullock's daughter.

Update, Jan 29, 2010. As she has now won the Golden Globe, which is a dress rehearsal for the Oscars, I expect she will get the Oscar nomination, and it sets the stage for an interesting contest with Meryl Streep for her performance in Julie and Julia. Both actresses played real life characters, with an interesting mix of drama and humor. Although Oscars are not usually given for this type of performance, the exception is Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. I predict this will be the year of the exception. Streep has been nominated 15 times winning only twice. This would be Bullocks first nomination.

Update 2/3/2010. The Blind Side has been nominated for 2 Academy Awards, for Best Actress, and Best Picture. As of 2010 the Best Picture category has been expanded from 5 to 10 pictures, partly because of falling ratings, and partly because many popular movies have not historically received the same level of Oscar love, as movies such as The Blind Side has received from the public.

Blind Side has grossed over $238 million dollars domestically, making it the 8th highest grossing movie of 2009, and no 63 all time for domestic box office, and it's still in release.

I hope this was helpful to you, and I think you will enjoy the movie.

Tim Mcgraw is a very talented singer. I have always felt that his rendition of this should be what lovers should strive for. He is also luckily married to someone who I know he feels this way about, Faith Hill.

I'm not a huge country fan, and besides his movie roles I only accidentally discovered Tim McGraw & his music a couple of weeks ago when I read that he's the son of one of my Miracle Mets heroes, Tug McGraw (the subject of "Live Like you were Dying"), and then read further that he's got a good head on his shoulders too. I bought his #1's double album because it was $5 and I wanted to get to know his music better. Well, I only liked about half of his previous hits. I much prefer Garth Brooks. Then Amazon featured Emotional Traffic for $3.99. The clips sounded pretty good, and different, so I bought it. Wow! From the onset of the first unique track "Halo", I knew I was in for something special, kind of like when Loretta Lynn recorded "Portland Oregon." I love progressive country rock, and this album crosses over into that genre as well as others, including pop/R&B with the Ne Yo duet. The production seems to favor rock guitars, which is fine with me. It sounds even even better with headphones. There still is some twang, and the requisite Jesus song, but even those are palatable. Great job, Tim, this is one of my favorite albums in quite some time!

As for the "bad" review, if you don't like country music, WHY are you buying it.
Maybe you should listen to more than 10 seconds of 2 songs before you bash a great album!