Sandy Side

This past weekend it wasn’t a sparkly vampire or ninja assassins or even the end of the world that dominated the box office. It wasn’t a movie that required CGI or car chases or demolishing the White House. All it had was a 45-year-old female star and a bottle of peroxide. So how did “The Blind Side” emerge as the No. 1 movie in America in its third week of release? Two words: lady power. OK, two more words: Sandra Bullock.

You see, the conventional wisdom is always that women can’t open movies. And, of course, that men won’t go see a movie made for us. In short, Hollywood thinks only the big boys make for big box office. Well fuck that noise.

While I haven’t seen “The Blind Side” yet (but don’t worry, I haven’t seen “New Moon,” “Ninja Assassins” or “2012” either – and don’t plan to either), I am incredibly pleased for Sandra’s success this year. First “The Proposal,” which has grossed $164 domestically. And now “The Blind Side” which is already at $129 million. OK, so there was the unfortunate hiccup of “All About Steve” in the interim. God, that thing looked awful.

The thing about Sandy is that she is quintessentially relatable. She is that girl next door you want to hang out with and watch movies until 2 a.m. with and sneak out at 3 a.m. to TP the neighbor’s house with. Oh, only me? Fine, she’s still ridiculously affable. While I can’t say I’ve loved all her movies, I’ve always had a soft spot for her. So soft that I actually went to see “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous.” But even in less than stellar films, she just has that thing about her. How could you hate her? And, clearly, we don’t because word-of-mouth has made “The Blind Side” the sleeper hit of the season. In short, we like her, we really like her.

So thanks for showing the old boys that a great lady can kick serious ass at the box office without ever having to kick ass. Also, thanks for looking great in a tank top. What? It is Tuesday, after all.