Aims At The Head But Is All Heart

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2016)

I like Will Smith, especially when he plays serious roles. I avoided this movie initially for several reasons among them that there seemed to be no buzz, no awards, and I'd never heard of the real Dr.Bennet Omalu or Mike Webster for that matter. And then when the controversy about the lack of diversity in the academy award noms came out, I wanted to wait before I watched 'Concussion'. I can see what all of the fuss was about. This should have had several academy nods including Smith's role and best pic. Would it have won? Who knows. But the fact that hardly anyone in the industry short-listed this movie is very strange. A great cast, including Albert Brooks and Mike O'Malley in supporting roles, but it's Smith that carries this thing to a satisfying end. This isn't a movie about race, although the screenplay and Smith's quiet and subtle performance alludes to it in several smart scenes in a way that acknowledges it but also keeps it from being a key factor in the movie. The movie is about greed and corporate America. It would be a tired formula if it wasn't true. Not sure how it could have been ignored during awards season. Will watch it again.