The Blind Side Without Football
Same Kind of Different as Me
Review by Ross Anthony

Heavy-handed in spots, but well-acted and sports a good heart. Jon Voight is fantastic as the crusty Grampa with yesterday's biased values and a bottle in hand. Greg Kinnear performs exactly as you'd expect, while Renee Zellweger is almost unrecognizable in dark hair and make-up. Djimon Hounsou's performance dips at times, but when he's on, he hits hard and right to the heart. They're all good really, but again, it's Voight who knocks it out of the park.

If you liked "The Blind Side" you'll like this. Sure, it's schmaltzy and hits some clichés movie moments head on, and it won't please the critics with its simplification of complex issues, but really, it's well acted – and will remind you that humanity is something we all have a hand in. Plus it'll make you cry.

Stylistically, there's a very early scene that sticks out as quite classy. The husband and wife must deal with a challenge to their relationship. Ironically, most other films can't resist playing to the high drama and make a cliché out of such a scene, but here filmmakers approach the moment with nuance, artistry and complexity. It's beautiful. While the rest of the film production is solid, it refrains from indulging in such style.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --


  • Same Kind of Different as Me. Copyright © 2017.
  • Starring Greg Kinnear, Renee Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, Jon Voight. Directed by Michael Carney (XII), Paramount Pictures.

Grade..........................B+ (2.5/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Friday, 20-Oct-2017 21:38:58 PDT