By Blake Laurita
Staff Writer
In a half-hearted attempt to expose one of the National Football League’s best kept secrets, “Concussion” fails to keep the audience interested with an underwhelming plot, but is saved by award winning acting and amazing supporting roles.
“Concussion” begins with an exciting opening accompanied by an easily forgettable soundtrack. The movie also does a poor job of developing all the characters, however a saving point of the film is the acting done by Will Smith. In addition, the supporting actors do a great job of executing their parts, and contributing to the overall plot.
The movie follows Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) a Christian immigrant from Nairobi who becomes a Forensic Pathologist in Pittsburgh. While there he takes in another immigrant from Nairobi, named Prema (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). As an outsider in the City of Pennsylvania Omalu doesn’t pay much attention when Mike Webster, a former professional football player ends up in his morgue. While performing the autopsy, he finds out he died a from drug overdose due to mental problems. He wonders how an otherwise healthy athlete can suffer from serious psychological problems and through various testing he discovers what the NFL has been covering up all these years .
While the concept of the plot may sound interesting, it is plagued by a cliched script and it fails to ever really hook the audience in. Also the plot is often slowed down when the movie branches off into Omalu’s personal life, which seemed to stop the movie’s momentum in its tracks.
The film’s premise is primarily about exposing the NFL however the film also focuses a lot on Omalu’s personal life, including his relationship with Prema. It begins as platonic and eventually progresses into an intimate one. This took away from the main plot and the film did a poor job of developing and sustaining the characters relationships throughout the movie.
Another weak point of the movie is the soundtrack. The songs that should’ve set the mood, were forgettable and for the most part boring. The underwhelming soundtrack found in “Concussion” didn’t help emphasize the film’s important moments and failed to add value to the film.
While “Concussion’s” main character is Bennet, the film also has a great cast of supporting characters that do a fantastic job of picking up the plot’s slack. Characters like Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin), a former Steelers team doctor who Omalu teams up with and Omalu’s mentor, Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks), who both play their roles very well, and deliver their lines with expertise. They also add variety and a well needed comic relief from time to time.
Arguably the film’s strongest aspect was its performance by Will Smith. Smith delivers a brilliant performance and maintains a perfectly realistic accent throughout the movie. His performance saves the film’s underwhelming plot and ties it together with his experience as an actor. The award winning performances given by Smith brings the movie together giving the film a likeable protagonist who is very easy to root for.
Will Smith’s portrayal of Dr. Bennet Omalu is made even more realistic because the film is based on a true story. This aspect helps the audience create deeper connections with the actors on screen and add more realism to the movie as a whole. It also makes the long-term effects of concussions on retired NFL players more believable.
“Concussion” is a solid film with an interesting story and great performances, but overall delivering a decent, at times boring experience. Although, the film has award winning portrayal of Dr. Bennet Omalu by Will Smith, it is often overshadowed by a confused plot and disappointing soundtrack.
“Concussion” was released Dec. 25, is rated PG-13, and is playing in theaters across the nation.
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