Critics often view comedies as less substantial than dramas, overlooking the reality that making a lot of people laugh is hard - much harder than being "dramatic".

It's a similar story with heart-warming films, those movies that bring a tear to your eye, make you happy and tell a story that just makes you feel good about things.

Critics often belittle this sort of film, as though being happy is a bad thing. Much better for a film to be dark and feature characters who are mentally anguished than feature something uplifting.

Which brings me to The Blind Side, an American football film for women, based on Michael Lewis' book of the same name.

The book combined the idea that the position of left tackle - which protects the quarterback's blind side - is the second-most important on the field with the story of Michael Oher, a huge, fast, black man who revolutionised that position.

The film limits the football tactics to the first few minutes and instead concentrates on the touching Oher story. Brought up in a bad neighbourhood, a victim of domestic abuse and absent parents, Oher (Aaron) found himself in a fancy Christian high school, thanks to a family friend's connection with the football coach.

But he still lives rough - hardly any clothes, no food, no place to stay. Then fiesty Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) spots him walking alone in the cold rain one night and invites him to stay at her house.

That one night eventually leads to Oher becoming a member of the family.

It's a wonderful story, one that made me tear up so many times that I lost count. But some critics have mocked that, giving the film the derogatory "tearjerker" tag.

Another tag some have incorrectly given the film is "racist", claiming it pushes the idea that black people can only succeed if white people help them. It's a criticism that conveniently ignores the idea that this is a true story - and perhaps says more about themselves.