Despite stuffiness, ‘Concussion’ could spur debate

“Concussion” joins the small collection of investigative films arriving at the end of 2015, with “Spotlight” and “Truth” and the German picture “Labyrinth of Lies.” This one might actually move the needle on its subject.

The true story chronicled here looks at Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Nigerian-born forensic pathologist who established a connection between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. That research has already led to changes in NFL rules and increased scrutiny of former players.

All those shots to the head, all those concussions — acknowledged or, frequently, not — have created a class of ex-players struggling with depression, erratic behavior and memory loss.

The film casts Will Smith as Omalu, a gentle but determined soul working in a pathology lab in Pittsburgh. That’s how he gets a look at the brain of former Steeler Mike Webster (played, hauntingly, by David Morse), who died at age 50 in 2002.

From there, Omalu faces an obstacle course erected by the National Football League, which comes to resemble Big Tobacco in its dogged attempts to deny something that is increasingly obvious: that a career in football is a deadly gamble.

Writer-director Peter Landesman takes a nicely low-key approach to some of this, but the subplots feel like Hollywood string-pulling: the shy Omalu takes in a fellow immigrant (splendid Gugu Mbatha-Raw, from “Beyond the Lights”) and slowly falls for her, while the NFL’s flunkies apparently wage a campaign of bullying and intimidation against him.

The film is respectable to the point of stuffiness. Even Will Smith’s effortless movie-star charisma can’t enliven his saintly character (neither Albert Brooks nor Alec Baldwin, as sympathetic doctors, generate much liveliness).

“Concussion” has one interesting running theme, about how America has stopped being the place of fulfilling dreams, for immigrants or others. When that disenchanted mantra keeps getting repeated in a wide-release picture starring Will Smith, something may really be up.

But I wish the film had pursued its story’s other implication, which suggests the way we’d all rather embrace fantasy than face reality — this is, after all, a movie about science denial, that maddeningly timely subject.

This extends not just to the NFL’s attempts to sidestep CTE data but to fandom as well. I’m a lifelong football fan, but the CTE stuff has made me queasy at times while watching the Seahawks flying around the field. On that score, it’ll be interesting to see whether people actually turn out to see this bearer of bad holiday tidings.

“Concussion” (2½ stars)

A low-key, even stuffy account of the pathologist (Will Smith) who first made the correlation between playing football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy — much to the NFL’s chagrin. Not an exciting movie, but one that might actually move the needle on its subject.

Rating: PG-13, for subject matter

Showing: Alderwood, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood Cinema, Pacific Place, Woodinville, Thornton Place, Cascade Mall.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.