“Concussion” should cause many to think about our nation’s
most popular sport. Based on a true story, Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a
Nigerian-born, hyper-motivated corner working in Pittsburgh. He treats the dead
bodies he examines as his patients, carefully trying to determine the cause of
their deaths. One day, he is assigned the body of a local legend, a former
Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL Hall-of-Famer named Mike Webster (David Morse), a
man who went from the height of success to living in a broken-down truck. Omalu
notices something inconsistent with Webster’s brain, and against the protests
of a fellow coroner and Steelers’ fan, decides to run some sophisticated tests,
paying for them himself. With the backing of his no-nonsense boss (Albert
Brooks), Omalu determines that Webster suffered a litany of concussions over
his career, which eventually led to his erratic, irrational behavior. Omalu
discovers that a great many football players have had similar problems and
other inexplicable deaths have occurred. Thus begins Omalu’s fight, first to be
taken seriously by the scientific community, then by the NFL. Helping him along
the way is a remorseful former team doctor for the Steelers (Alec Baldwin) and
the widows of other NFL players, whose husbands Omalu examines.
“Concussion” spends too much time on Omalu’s relationship
with his future wife (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) when it should focus on the science. And
while Smith doesn’t look anything like Dr. Omalu, his on-screen charisma keeps
you involved in the story. However, the film’s greatest weakness is that the
movie never gives Omalu a persuasive antagonist, someone that’s substantive
enough for him to push against to create the necessary narrative tension. The
NFL remains a vague, largely anonymous presence (the white elephant in the
room). Dr. Omalu recently stated in a New York Times op-ed, that he doesn’t
believe anyone under 18 should be permitted to play high-impact contact sports.
And after seeing “Concussion,” you can understand why.
