The debate about the “blind side” still rages

Public controversy surrounding the 2009 blockbuster film hidden side It became more chaotic.

Based on the 2006 non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, the feel-good movie tells the story of Michael O’Hare, a teenager living an impoverished life in a nursing home and being fostered by married couple Tennessee Sean and Lee Ann Twohy. The couple encouraged O’Hare to excel on the football field, and O’Hare eventually went on to play in the NFL. But O’Hare claims he was not adopted by the Tuohy family, and the debate over the truth behind the film has devolved into a war of words played out in lawsuits and public statements.

What led to the current controversy between O’Hare and the Touhy family?

Earlier this month, O’Hare He sued claiming that he was not adopted by the Tuohys. Instead, he says, he was placed in conservatorship, and the family was allowed to make large financial profits from the film without his consent. Since then, everyone from the studio that produced the film to O’Hare’s brother has started to have their say.

Sean and Lee Ann Twohy, who previously played Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock in the Academy Award-winning film, Tell Hollywood Reporter They gave O’Hare an “equal share of every penny” they earned from the film, and went on to say they were the victims of a $15 million “extortion” he orchestrated. The “devastated” couple claimed the guardianship was created to help, not to assist. The Towhees’ attorney, Marty Singer, went on to say that O’Hare “threatened” the couple by claiming he would “plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million.”

“The Towhees opened their home to Mr. O’Hare, offering him support, support, and most of all, unconditional love. They consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children. His response was to threaten them, including saying that he was planting a negative story about them,” Singer wrote. in the press unless they pay him $15 million.” diverse mentioned.

What everyone says

Several other people associated with O’Hare and the Tuohy family began speaking out about the situation.

After remaining silent since initial news of O’Hare’s lawsuit against the Tuohys emerged, the company that produced the 2009 hit movie has officially weighed in on the controversy. In a statement issued to Hollywood ReporterAlcon Entertainment co-presidents Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosovi defended the deal behind the film and the Tuohy family, calling O’Hare’s claims “mischaracterizations and uninformed opinions.”

“The deal Fox struck for the rights to the lives of Tuohys and Michael Oher was consistent with the market at the time for the rights of relatively unknown individuals,” Alcon wrote. Therefore, it did not include large payments in the event of the success of the film.

They have also shared the specific financial details behind the deal.

As a result, the idea that Alcon paid millions of dollars to the Tuohey family at the expense of Michael O’Hare is false. In fact, Alcon paid nearly $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohey family and Michael O’Hare (who, presumably, took the commission before passing it on).

John O’Hare, O’Hare’s biological brother, has also weighed in on the controversy, claiming that the issues surrounding the film’s factual inaccuracies do not bother the O’Hare family.

“We are all happy,” said John. the people. “We don’t care how this movie is made because we know the truth. At least, I know the truth. Everyone knows the truth. So we don’t care about this movie.”

However, John claims the film adaptation took some liberties with the truth, omitting essential details.

What then

The following steps will be taken in the case in court. The Towhees said they would comply with the request to release O’Hare from custody, as he requested. But the financial outcome is likely to be a bit more complicated.

said Ronald Nevin, an attorney familiar with guardianship law but not assigned to the O’Hare case the people The next step would be to have the Tuohys explain two things: whether they had received money on O’Hare’s behalf, and whether they had appropriately distributed it to him. As for O’Hare, the former NFL player will need to provide documentation from a physician proving his ability to manage his own finances and medical decisions.