Will Smith is one of those actors who, if given the right material, is quite great. If given the opportunity to commit and sink his teeth into a role, Smith is always all in. I wasn't that big of a fan of Michael Mann's "Ali", which garnered the actor his first Oscar nomination, but loved his work in "The Pursuit of Happyness", for which Smith received his second Oscar nomination.
He now stars in "Concussion", and the movie gives the actor his first chance to really disappear into a character in quite some time. Earlier this year, Smith starred opposite Margot Robbie in "Focus", which only required him to show up and be the swaggering, charming actor we know. In "Concussion," he takes on a real person, nails an accent and breathes life into a great performance. It's a shame his efforts weren't in service of much better material.
Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu. Omalu begins to shine a light on brain injuries that football players suffer after renowned player Mike Webster (David Morse) is found dead. Omalu is passionate about his work and is completely dedicated to digging deeper into the disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE.
Not so shockingly, certain people are not thrilled when Nigerian-born Omalu decides to take a sledgehammer to a beloved American sport. He begins receiving threats regarding his work. To varying degrees, he has the help of two doctors, Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks) and Dr. Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin). They try to help him navigate through his discoveries, while balancing threatening phone calls and FBI involvement. Both Brooks and Baldwin do fine supporting work here.
Smith's depiction of Omalu is the strongest aspect of "Concussion." His determination is evident in portraying Omalu's unwillingness to give up in the face of adversity. Smith hasn't been this good, giving an actual performance, since "The Pursuit of Happyness."
Written and directed by Peter Landesman, "Concussion" feels scattershot and haphazardly constructed (William Goldenberg, who won the Oscar for cutting "Argo" serves as the editor). The film goes from one point to the next, without building much of a bridge to get us there. For most of "Concussion," it feels like something is missing from scene-to-scene, which makes some plot changes feel abrupt.
Smith earned a Golden Globe nomination for this performance and very well could find himself a three-time Oscar nominee thanks to this film. But the movie just often plays things too safe. This is a touchy subject, and there are glimpses of the movie trying to indict the NFL but it quickly pulls away. If Landesman's script could have had as much courage as Omalu did, "Concussion" would have been a great film.
| Movie title | Concussion |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2015 |
| MPAA Rating | PG-13 |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | Will Smith gives a great performance as Dr. Bennet Omalu. Too bad the script doesn't show the courage of its protagonist. |
