When a man like Will Smith stars in a movie, people pay attention. He's been making box office-topping movies since I was in diapers. I first remember loving him as the Fresh Prince, and then becoming obsessed with a movie all of my friends still ridicule ("Wild Wild West," here's looking at you).
Smith's movies, like "Independence Day," "The Pursuit of Happiness," "I Am Legend" (oh the dog), "Men in Black," "I, Robot," and even "Shark Tale" (for the kids) embody the versatility of this man as an actor. With this powerfully impressive resume, it only makes sense that Will Smith would be cast in the in the lead role of "Concussion."
"Concussion" tells the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu as he discovered the dangers that regular concussions present to football players, and named the disease CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The story itself is a dark look into the underbelly of the NFL. The National Football League probably sat quietly in a dark room as this movie was in post-production, wondering how to save face when it released.
"Concussion" begins with an intro of Mike Webster, an ex-professional football player, as he's getting inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The story quickly jumps forward into his fall from sanity, and his eventual suicide. Omalu performs an autopsy on Mike Webster, and isn't satisfied with what he finds. He can't understand why a perfectly healthy young man (Webster was about fifty) would lose such control of his mind and his life without any obvious reason. Omalu embarks on an intellectual adventure, fighting tooth and nail with his coworkers, the government, and the NFL to prove that the death of Webster and other NFL players, including Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk and Andre Waters and Dave Duerson were all related to their time on the football field, and that people should be made aware of the dangers of football.
Without going too deep into the plot and ruining every part of the movie for you, this is an eye opening subject. I was reading a book about test answers that high schoolers have jokingly given when they don't know the answer. In it, one of the questions was: Name two major religions. The student's answers were 1: The Force in Star Wars, and 2: Football. I don't know about the Force, but here in the United States we treat football like it's the new religion. We took Sunday, our holy day, and we gave it to a huge corporation. We exchanged praying and resting for screaming at the TV and jumping up and down. We traded crosses on the wall for photos of athletes we'll never get the chance to interact with. Many of us hate Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner. A large part of America feels needs to step down, but we don't know his role in concealing the truth about football players, head trauma, and the crippling depression that can come with a lifetime of football. But we should. As a football nation, we should care better for our football players. Understand why the refs throw so many flags, when we feel like the "players should just be allowed to play."
Concussion is the type of movie you must see for it's content, and also for it's amazing quality. Given a 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb, the movie is an eye opener. Smith's performance as Omalu is heart-wrenching. As a spiritual man who takes his work seriously, with a Nigerian accent from being raised in his homeland, Smith's Omalu is a character you can't help but feel for. His simple need to find the truth and have it be accepted as fact is demanding, and opens the eyes of the viewer to all the things we've missed over the years. Years ago, when the true events of Concussion were occurring, I was simply unaware. I didn't know there was a huge cover up about concussions. I didn't realize the part Goodell played in initiating most of these coverups. Concussion doesn't pull the wool back from over your eyes, but it gives you the opportunity to do it. It slides the wool blanket down just enough that you can see there's a light beyond your small, dark view of the world. And it's exactly what the general public needs.
"Concussion" is not perfect. There are different parts of the movie that more informed people have taken issue with. For instance, there is an online uproar about Will Smith's African accent. It seems that there is no 'African' accent, and many Nigerians are mad about Smith's portrayal of one. The family of Dave Duerson is also angry about his portrayal, arguing that his harsh treatment of Andre Waters in the movie never happened in real life. These issues aside, the movie is worth watching. "Concussion" is the layman's jumping off point to doing his own research, and will surely get Smith an Oscar nomination, if not a flat out win. Watch out, Leo Dicaprio! If "The Revenant" isn't a top of the line film, looks like this year isn't going to be your year. Again.
