"Concussion" Fumbles An Important Message

Rating: 5/10 (29 December 2015)

Will Smith delivers an Oscar worthy performance as crusading pathologist Dr. Dr. Bennet Omalu in "Parkland" writer & director Peter Landesman's "Concussion," a mediocre but true-life medical expose about the perils of playing professional football. Although the timely subject matter about brain-damaged NFL players is definitely the stuff of which concussions are made, the straightforward saga lacks the devastating impact of its message. When you consider what the NFL has gotten away with in its greed, you'd think "Concussion" would have conjured up more clout. Little of what happens in "Concussion" is remotely compelling. Occasionally, "Concussion" conjures up suspense. Were it not for Smith's subdued presence, this anti-pigskin parade would never played movie theaters and quietly have passed away on home video. Landesman surrounds Smith with an impeccable cast, including Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse, Richard T. Jones, Eddie Marsan, and Arliss Howard. Landesman did a good job with his JFK thriller "Parkland," but he drops the ball completely here.