Bullock's Brockovich?

Forgetting this weekend's apparent stinkbomb "All About Steve" (which is currently sitting pretty at Rotten Tomatoes with a whopping 0% from critics) from her 2009 retrospective, this year is shaping up to be a good one for Sandra Bullock. While "Steve" makes a quick theatrical run before vanishing into Wal-Mart bargain bins on DVD (Kirk Honeycutt sees the movie's future "on airlines in two months and off everyone's resume within three"), "The Proposal" is gunning toward a worldwide total near $300 million. At $161 million domestic, Bullock's screen tango with Ryan Reynolds marks not only her biggest hit to date but also a comeback for the former sure-bet of the sweetheart genre.





Bullock is back in theaters November 20 in "The Blind Side," gussied up in a hairspray force-field with a southern accent and fancy outfits to boot. She plays a no-nonsense Texas housewife who develops an unlikely friendship with a homeless boy from a broken home, adopting the African-American teen into her wealthy suburban family.
Based on a true story, "The Blind Side" finds its footing when the young man, encouraged by brazen new mom Bullock, joins the local football team and shows Texas what he's made of. It all sounds very schmaltzy, and the trailer suggests, essentially, a by-the-book weepie. But Bullock means business, wearing the shit out of that teased-up blonde wig and spouting off contrived dialogue with conviction that would make Erin Brockovich proud. Could Sandy blind-side Awards Season with her own underdog success?