Review of Concussion (2015) by Deborah F — 20 Aug 2016

Review:

I first watched this movie on an aeroplane and I must admit, I did find it quite boring and it made the flight to America seem longer than it was, and now that I've watched it again, I still found it quite dull. The subject matter was quite interesting and the bonus material on the DVD was intriguing but I personally don't think that Will Smith was the right choice to play Dr. Omalu. He did bring emotion to the role and and he made the film seem realistic, alongside Baldwin (Dr. Julian Bailes), Albert Brooks (Dr. Cyril Wecht) and David Morse (Mike Webster) but for a two hour movie, the tone that was set from the beginning, didn't switch throughout the movie. Don't get me wrong, Dr. Omalu was a truly remarkable neuropathologist whose determination to discover the truth, was a stroke of genius but from an entertainment point of view, it just didn't do it for me. On the plus side, the chemistry between the actors, who were all top class, did work and when the brain damaged football players were on screen, it did make it slightly watchable but there wasn't any memorable scenes which left me thinking that it was a great film. Anyway, although the movie was interesting, I did find it boring, and it was lucky to make a profit at the box office. Average!

Round-Up:

This movie was written and directed by Peter Landesman, who also brought you Parkland in 2013. He also wrote Kill The Messenger in 2014, starring Jeremy Renner, so he hasn't had that much experience in the movie world. As this movie was about such a delicate subject, I personally think that it should have gone to an experienced director who could have got the most out of top actors. I have to give him top marks for bringing an untold story to the public domain but I really don't know how much Dr. Omalu's foundings have changed the game today. Anyway, I'm glad that Smith has gone back to his original acting style, by returning in the movie Suicide Squad, and with a couple of Bad Boys movies in the pipeline, so I'm sure he will bring the dollars back to the box office.

Budget: $35million.

Worldwide Gross: $49million.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their biography/sport/dramas starring Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Richard T. Jones, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson and Arliss Howard. 4/10.