The producers of The Blind Side are defending the film against $309 million in a recent lawsuit involving Michael Oher and his family. The Blind Side was recently heavily criticized as its real-life inspiration, Michael Oher, claimed the film was inaccurate. Contrary to what is depicted in the film, Oher claims that his adoption story was a lie and that his intended adoptive family, Tuohy, tricked him into signing a custody agreement that would allow them to run the business on his behalf. As a result, Oher filed a 14-page petition to end his custody at the Shelby County, Tennessee courthouse.
Amid this controversy, The Blind Side producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosov defend their film starring Sandra Bullock. According to Deadline, the producers said that The Blind Side had “a lot of bad reviews.” They dismissed claims that the Tuohy made millions and Oher got nothing, stating that the film’s contracts “did not provide for significant payouts if the film was successful”. Read the full text of the statement below:
“As co-founders and co-directors of Alcon Entertainment, which financed The Blind Side, and two producers of the film, we now feel it is important to respond to some recent news that includes a lot of bad plays and inexperienced opinions. The impetus for these stories was a lawsuit by Michael Oher, which seems to have given critics and journalists a justification for unfairly exposing the film 14 years later, with some going so far as to call it a “fake” or “lie”. . The Blind Side is a film none of the major studios were going to make when Alcon funded the film in 2009. The prevailing “wisdom” was that a football movie with a female lead would not appeal to football fans, there would be too much football to appeal to families, and that films with black actors would not go overseas. In our opinion, this could appeal to everyone, and in 2009, when this country and the world as a whole were more hopeful and less divided, it was. The two of us are the longest running interracial business partnership in the history of the film industry. We did not lead through advertising or preaching, but through the silent power of example.
In the history of The Blind Side, we saw the best angels of human nature. We saw this in Tuohy’s miraculous good deeds towards Michael Oher. More importantly, however, we saw it in Michael Oher’s extraordinary courage in accepting Tuohy’s generosity, not as charity or as his saviors, but as a way to improve his life. This is evidenced by his academic achievements and athletic achievements. Raising his own children now, who will have a lifetime of opportunities that Michael never knew as a child, is the highest testament to his strength and courage. In both of these respects, The Blind Side is authentic and will never be a lie or a hoax, no matter what family ups and downs have taken place since the film’s release. Indeed, many confidants, including Michael Lewis, one of our country’s most respected writers and journalists and author of The Blind Side, have spoken about what they knew first-hand about Tuohy’s authenticity and their loving treatment of Michael as with his son through high school and then through college and into the NFL.
We also want to talk about the business side of the equation, which seems to be part of the source of the film’s current antipathy in the press. The film rights to the Michael Lewis book and related rights contracts were awarded by Twentieth Century Fox and acquired by Alcon when the film was put on hold. It is important to note that in 2006, the nature of life-rights treaties for books, documentaries, and films, and the restrictions on what college athletes could do and maintain eligibility, were very different from today. Comparing them to the current market for these rights is like comparing a deal with a Hall of Famer 25 years ago to the nine-figure deals that are common in the NBA today. Fox’s deal for Tuohy’s and Michael Oher’s life rights was in line with the current market for unknown rights. Therefore, it does not include significant payouts if the film is successful.
Therefore, the notion that the Tuohy received millions of dollars from Alcon to the detriment of Michael Oher is false. In fact, Alcon paid an estimated $767,000 to a talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher (who allegedly received the commission before handing it over). We expect the Tuohy family and Michael Oher to make additional profits as audiences continue to enjoy this true story for years to come. In addition to these contractual payments, Alcon made a charitable donation to the Tuohy family foundation. We offered to donate an amount equal to the target of Mr. Oher’s choice, but he refused.
This November marks the 14th anniversary of the release of The Blind Side by our distribution partner, Warner Bros. Looking back, we both passionately believed that The Blind Side was a story that needed to be told. John Lee Hancock did a brilliant job adapting Michael Lewis’s book and we knew John Lee would direct a thoughtful and thought provoking film. We also felt that Sandra Bullock’s amazing performance as a dramatic actress was downplayed and felt that Quentin Aaron’s screen test was a revelation. God only knows, we’re both not always right, but we were definitely right in our decision to make this film. The best human qualities shown in The Blind Side can easily be ignored in the bizarre world of elitist film criticism and social media cynicism. However, in the real world, they form the basis of a healthy society and should be celebrated. We are just as proud of this film today as we were when our wonderful colleagues made it 14 years ago. We hope that our fellow filmmakers around the world will continue to look for inspiring stories to tell and will be given the freedom and opportunity to have their voices heard.”
To defend the Blind Side so vehemently, as Aaron, Kosovo and Johnson have done, is somewhat controversial in itself. Even before the recent controversy, The Blind Side had long been criticized for promoting a “white savior” narrative that portrayed the white Tuohy family as a great hero in the life of a young black man. Ooooh. With that in mind, the fact that the people in power in the film are constantly speaking out against the unsub’s allegations of abuse of power doesn’t necessarily represent good prospects for the Blind Side crew.
However, three prominent contributors to the film – Aaron, Kosovo and Johnson – have submitted statements supporting a different perspective on the Blind Side controversy. Despite what their defense looks like, their comments complicate the narrative of the Blind Side controversy. Since Oher’s petition will be considered in court, it will be interesting to see how the situation develops.
Source: Timing