Movie Title: Concussion
Grade: A-
Rating: PG-13
In a Nutshell: Will Smith rightly deserves the Golden
Globe nomination he earned from his role in this “David vs. Goliath” story. His Nigerian accent is great and his depth of
emotion superb.
This is not the typical underdog football story. It’s
based on the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who tried to go head on with the
National Football League when he discovered a medical link to brain damage and
playing football.
The end of the movie mentions Junior Seau’s recent
suicide. I remember how traumatic that
announcement was because Seau and his foundation had just given one of my sons
a college scholarship. We were
heartbroken to hear the news. I remember
being shocked and wondered how someone who seemed to have everything would
choose to end his life. Now I understand a little better. This film
presents important information and does it in a very tasteful, interesting way.
Uplifting theme:
- “Need
is not weak.” – Dr. Bennet Omalu
(Will Smith)
- “You
have to be the best version of yourself.
If you don’t know what that is, you pick something and fake it.” – Dr. Omalu
- “If
you know, you must come forth and speak.” – Prema Mutiso (Gugu Mbatha-Raw)
- “When
you have truth, the thing you are told you cannot do is the thing you must
do. Embrace that and nothing
created by man can bring you down.” – Prema
- “The
gift of knowledge is a great gift, a dangerous gift.” – Dr. Omalu
- Guilt,
integrity, honor, respect
Things I liked:
- I loved the imagery and use of hands throughout
the entire movie.
- Alec Baldwin makes me laugh, even when
he’s in a dramatic role.
- I
always appreciate it at the end of movies when they tell you what has
happened after the movie left off.
The statistics presented are sobering.
- I
thought it did a good job being sensitive to all the football fans out
there.
- Albert
Brooks was made to look like a balding, older man. Young fans will recognize his voice from
the huge Pixar hit “Finding Nemo.”
They’ll be happy to know that he still has a full head of hair. He provides some much needed humor to this
cautionary tale.
- I appreciated
the respectful discussion about religion vs. science.
- Paul
Reiser and Luke Wilson play roles, although small ones in the film.
Things I didn’t like:
- You will see a lot of football collisions
and crunches.
- Fans
hoping to see a lot of football action will be disappointed.
- It’s
tough to say who the target audience is for this film and who will or can
take action after seeing it.
Funny lines:
- “I had quite a revelation tonight. This body was made for dancing. When they say dancing machine, I am what
they mean.” – Dr. Omalu
Interesting lines:
- “All
we have to do is finish the game.
If we finish, we win.” – Mike Webster (David Morse)
- “I am
not interested in common sense. I’m
interested in science. Science is
knowing.” – Dr. Joseph Maroon (Arliss
Howard)
- “The
NFL owns a day of the week.” – Dr.
Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks)
- “Everyone
has been in the dark and you have turned on the light and given this
Boogeyman a name.” – Dr. Julian Bailes
(Alec Baldwin)
- “Tell
the truth. Tell the truth!” – Dr.
Omalu
- “There
is no coincidence in this world.” – Prema
- “If
you don’t speak for the dead, who will?” – Prema
- “You
know, it is a mindless, violent game…and then it’s Shakespeare. I mean, to
me, it’s like life that way. I know
you can’t see how exciting and beautiful all that is and I don’t blame
you.” – Dr. Bailes
Tips for parents:
- There
is some profanity.
- This
is a serious, slow-moving “talking” movie that may bore young children.
- Discussion
of suicide and miscarriage.
No comments:
Post a Comment