I dislike terms like "feel-good" and "heart-warming" in movie descriptions. It usually means 90 minutes of treacly tripe where a lot of unbelievable shlock somehow leads to everything magically turning out OK in the end.

But I could easily use both terms to describe "The Blind Side" in the best possible way. The story of real-life football player Michael Oher follows him from homeless ward of the state to sought-after football recruit, thanks to the support of the Tuohy family.

Sandra Bullock gives a moving performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy, a strong-willed designer who gets what she wants. And what she wants is to give Michael a home.

The compassion seemingly rolls off her in waves, washing over the rest of her family - an entertaining scamp named S.J.; a plucky daughter, Collins; and Sean, her husband, an unrecognizable Tim McGraw.

The most moving moments of the story come early on as Leigh Anne struggles to deal with how neglected Michael has been. It's a journey Leigh Anne and the audience take together, learning about his past piece by piece.

At times the film loses its focus, abandoning its orbit around Michael and drifting more toward Leigh Anne.

Michael is played with an understated reserve by Quinton Aaron, who imbues each smile with more meaning than some can impart in a soliloquy. But we all know Sandra's the star here.

Sometimes, however, the film casts her well-off wife as a victim, which doesn't work. After all, is this a story about a kid from the projects who made it big, or is this more about how good Leigh Anne is?

There's actually a scene toward the end where Leigh Anne straight out asks her husband if she's a good person. This is akin to asking if she looks fat in those pants. What do you think he's going to say?

I understand she's conflicted and doubting herself at the time, but it seems disingenuous to focus on "Am I a good person?" rather than "Have we done the right things for Michael?" which is what she's really torn about.

Overall, though, the movie hits its marks. There are a lot of laughs and highly satisfying moments that come without feeling pandered. It's always hard to give an audience what it wants without seeming like a sell-out, but "The Blind Side" nails it.