Movie Review: Concussion

PLOT:

Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

REVIEW:

What did I like?

It had to be told. Each fall, we watch as high school, college, and professional athletes smash into each other at high speeds just to get an oblong piece of pigskin up and down the field for our entertainment. While I enjoy the game of football as much as the next guy, I am not oblivious to the bigger problem inherent to the game. Back in the 80s, there was an ad campaign using crash test dummies. There is a reason said dummies were used instead of human beings. Crashing into things at high speeds is not good for the brain. Will Smith’s character explains it best fairly early on in the film. Human beings do not have a protective boundary around their brains the way some animals do, thus, human beings are not meant to play football. I won’t go so far as to say that, but the danger and lingering side effects of doing so is something that has been ignored and/or covered up for years. Watching this film, I found myself wondering what else has been swept under the rug. 

Fresh out of laughs. Will Smith has done serious roles before, but they usually involve him cracking a joke or at least a smile. In this role, he is very stoic. Even when is being cordial to colleagues, the serious, stern look is on display. Smith has long been criticized his whole career for acting a certain way, that is to say every role being a version of the Fresh Prince. Yes, even all these years after that show ended, people are still saying that, and when he doesn’t they flip out. The man can’t win. In this role, Smith silences his critics with a powerful performance (I have issues with a couple of factors that I will touch on later) that should have been at least nominated for an Oscar, but I guess he wasn’t a slave, cancer patient, or in some role where he had to lose most of his body weight. 

NFL monsters. Football fans enjoy the NFL. How many of us actually know what a monster of a corporation it is, though? I think I have ever since I’ve been watching games. The way they have the disembodied voice emphasize how the game is the property of the NFL and can’t be broadcast without their consent has always been a bit on the foreboding side of things. That’s a tiny thing, though, compared to some of the other atrocities they do to stay on top. Covering up injuries, abandoning players, cutting off healthcare/pensions for retirees, etc. This list could go on! There was a film that came out a couple of years before this, Spotlight, that exposed the Catholic church and what it was doing to little boys. This film’s main purpose is to put the spotlight on what happens to football players that have concussions, but it also exposes how the NFL (mis)handled them for years.

What didn’t I like?

Black Panther you ain’t. In Black Panther, the entire cast, save for those not from Wakanda, spoke with an African accent. While not the best accents to be heard, they were at least believable. Will Smith’s accent in this film…well, the best thing I can say about it is that it is slightly above Eddie Murphy’s in Coming to America. Making matters worse is that his costar, the beautiful Gugu Mbatha-Raw, has a South African father, so she knows a thing or two about African accents. Also, this is a small personal complaint, Will Smith looks nothing like his role, Dr. Bennet Omalu. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but couldn’t they have found someone that favors him a bit more? Or was Smith’s star power more important?

Football. With the Super Bowl in our rear view mirror, I chose to watch this as a way to transition out of football season. Usually in football films we see actual football. If that is what you are expecting to see with this, you will be disappointed. Having said that, it is my fault for not reading the synopsis that this about the concussion protocol and not some team/player who gets a concussion, only to miraculously recover for the big game. Still, I would have liked to have seen Smith attend a game or two, especially since the film is set in Pittsburgh (they go out of their way to show the Steelers’ stadium in almost every shot).

Goodell-will. Roger Goodell has done a decent job as commissioner of the NFL. When he steps down/retires he’ll be remembered for…uh…spygate? bountygate? pandemic football? His legacy is beside the point. He is being blitzed in Congress near the film’s end by a guy we see a couple of times earlier in the film, Luke Wilson. Turns out Wilson is portraying Goodell. I have nothing against Luke Wilson. I think he’s a fine actor, but never in a million years would I cast him as Roger Goodell. If anything, put some age makeup on him and let him play the former commissioner, Paul Tagliabue!

Final verdict:

What did I ultimately think of Concussion? I mention the Super Bowl earlier. In it, Patrick Mahomes did everything he could to win the game, but he’s only one man. One man who got concussed a few weeks earlier and was magically cleared before the conference championship game. As the talk of what happens to players after football and current players suffering effects went on, I got to thinking about and wondered about the Chiefs superstar. That is what this film is meant to do, though. Make the audience wonder and question how healthy their favorite player(s) is/was and what they may have been suffering through. This film has it’s issues, but it is the message that really matters. I was locked on to my screen the whole time watching. I highly recommend this for the football fans.

4  1/2 out of 5 stars