Sandra Bullock plays in The Blind Side

‘Blindside’ worth seeing in Blu-ray - Sandra Bullock

Just two weeks ago, Sandra Bullock was backstage at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, basking in the glory of her best actress Oscar win for The Blind Side, perfectly setting up tomorrow’s DVD and Blu-ray launch. All for a movie that the mainstream loves.

The Oscar conversation turned to the delightful absurdity of triumphing only one night after she took the worst actress Razzie. That came for the awful All About Steve, a movie nobody but Steve likes. “You take the good with the not so good,” Bullock offered with a chuckle. She promised to display the Razzie — which she took in person — along with the Academy Award, as a reminder to check her ego at the door at home.

Bullock also deftly fielded questions about husband Jesse James: What he whispered in her ear as her name was announced (she wouldn’t say); how he was in tears (maybe). Calling him The Man, Bullock pointed James out. He had slipped in among media to watch his wife charm and tease. She cheekily denied the Monster Garage man had puddled up.

“Did he cry?” Bullock asked rhetorically. “He doesn’t cry! No! He’s right there. Don’t piss him off. He had something in his eye.”

The creep must be crying now. Bullock certainly is. And she is the one who is pissed off. At a time when she should be the happiest, watching her feel-good movie make some more history, these are the worst of times. James has been accused of having a skanky affair with Michelle (Bombshell) McGee, who has been described as “a tattoo model.”

James has since issued a statement: “There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me.” But he also claimed “the vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded.” Mixed messages.

No matter what really happened, and how the marriage is strained with Bullock moving out of their marital home, it still ruins what should be Bullock’s moment. She had come a long way from her days in trash such as Fire on the Amazon. Bullock is the darling of Hollywood. Plus her performance in The Blind Side is legit. She earned that Oscar, even if it was a stretch to nominate the movie itself for best picture.

For proof, check out the home entertainment releases. There is not much to explore on the vanilla-version DVD. It offers only the movie and deleted scenes. But the combo pack Blu-ray is excellent. You get the DVD, a digital copy and a high definition Blu-ray packed with interesting bonus materials.

Among those extras, Bullock sits down with Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real-life woman she plays in The Blind Side. Even though writer-director John Lee Hancock played loose with some facts and time-lines in the movie, and also set the story up awkwardly with his attempt to tell some history about NFL football, the movie does tells essential truths about a remarkable story.

Tuohy is the rich, white Memphis mom who invited a poor, homeless African-American teenager into her family home and encouraged him to stay permanently. The Tuohy’s are sports crazy. Husband Sean Tuohy is an announcer for the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team. The youngster they raised, nurtured and helped educate is Michael Oher, who is now an outstanding left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.

Watching Tuohy interact with Bullock allows you to understand how The Blind Side is not an exaggeration, not just Hollywood hokum, at its core. Bullock’s performance absolutely nails her. They seem like twin sisters in the Blu-ray interview time. Tuohy is a pistol, an irrepressible force of nature. Then, in a separate interview, Oher himself chronicles his relationships with the Tuohy clan.

For better and also for worse, truth is stranger than fiction in The Blind Side.