The Blind Side

What makes a perfect Thanksgiving Weekend movie?

Pouty teen vampires and werewolves? Actually, that formula would work any old weekend.

How about box office gold Sandra Bullock portraying a spunky, take-charge (as if Sandra has ever played any other type) Southern belle who takes in a black orphan, teaches him everything he needs to know about football (white Southern women know tons about the gridiron while black guys know little which explains why NFL rosters are packed with Scarlett O'Hara types), and sets him on the path to a million dollar pro football contract? That, my friend, is the plot of the movie that very nearly outdrew the doomed romance of Edward and Bella over the holiday weekend. Football draws the guys. Spunky Sandra draws the female demographic. It's perfect.

In a remarkable side story, the actor who played the football star actually lost over 100 pounds for the role. Quinton Aaron went from 475 lbs to 350 lbs prior to filming. Quinton sweated out the equivalent of Sandra Bullock's weight. Quinton went from the mass of a typical American family (185 lb Dad, 140 lb Mom, 100 lb Josh and 50 lb Tiffany) to the weight of the same family, pre-kids, but with a 25 lb Shih Tzu.

Previously, Quinton's "blind side" was the size of the Chrysler Building. During filming, it was down to the size of a your average Cineplex screen.

Better yet, even the smaller Quinton made those of us who gorged ourselves on Thanksgiving dinner feel better about our bloated bodies. The persect Thanksgiving movie, indeed.