Concussion

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic material including some disturbing images, and language
Run Time: 123 Minutes
My Rating: 4.5/5
Sorry for the late post, but on Thursday I saw Columbia Pictures' football-drama Concussion starring Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happiness), Alec Baldwin (NBC's 30 Rock), and Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo).  It tells the incredible true story of Dr. Bennett Omalu, a forensic pathologist, who discovers CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a former NFL player.  With very few people by his side, Dr. Bennett Omalu must take on the NFL directly in order to save countless lives from this horrific disease.
So I loved this film!!  It had so many great aspects to it and it truly made the audience think about the good and the bad sides of the NFL. This film could have made the NFL and the sport look like barbarians, but it provided a perfect balance of the dangers as well as the its beauty.  I am glad that the film showed this because I felt like it greatly enhanced its credibility. Another great thing is the impeccable acting by Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, as well as the other actors. Will Smith had no desire to make this film, due to its content, but I can't imagine Concussion being near as good without his presence.  That accent that he provides throughout is fantastic and I can't imagine how difficult it would have been to do that for the entire shoot.  Alec Baldwin is a great counterpart to Smith which makes for entertaining viewing.
The one biggest flaw in the film was its pacing.  The first 45 minutes of the film, in my opinion, seems to drag on.  I think the reason for this is because the first 45 minutes details how he discovered that there was brain trauma actually occurring in football athletes.  While this is interesting, the audience already knows that he finds the disease which makes the first 45 minutes slow-going.  The part that I found interesting was what happened after he discovered the disease and the backlash that he experienced.
Overall, I thought this film was great.  If you are a fan of football and are worried that this film tries destroy the game, think again.  This film definitely focuses on the beauty of game while telling a true story that happens to be about the dangers of the sport.  The acting is incredible and the cinematography is perfect.  The is definitely a crowd-pleasing filming and according to those that I went to the film with, "this is the best film of 2015!!"

Thanks again for reading!!  If you have any questions, comments, or ideas just let me know!!