I first heard of this film when Sandra Bullock won the Academy award for it over Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. That caught my attention. I thought at the time they must have made a wrong call. Not much of a football fan, I hadn’t seen this when it came out. But the Academy award had gotten my curiosity up regarding this movie, so when my son and I were hunting for something to see together this weekend, I remembered how much I liked Invictus (see here) even though I’m not a Rugby fan either, and suggested watching this. I’m so glad I did! Now that I’ve seen it, I’d vote for Sandra in a heartbeat for this, just like they did.

This is a true story of a wealthy family that takes in a big, homeless black kid who was failing High School, and with love, work, support and encouragement, not only does he become a success, but the whole family blossoms as well. The character development in the boy is beautiful and the mom is wonderfully no nonsense, exhibiting a great combination of principle, trust, confidence and unconditional love. My favorite line in the movie: “I can’t believe we’ve got a black son before we ever met a Democrat.”

I give this video an enthusiastic five stars. Watch it with your family if you haven’t yet. You’ll be glad you did!