It has been a long time since I have written film criticism, and you need not be concerned that LarryInFishers will be become a site filled with film reviews.  But I saw a film today (12/30) that merits comment.  Besides, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is normally a slow news cycle, so why not write about a film?

The film is entitled Concussion.  It’s about the NFL and retired players that seem to go off the deep end, ending their lives prematurely and even committing suicide.

There were rumors that the NFL lobbied the movie studio to water down the parts dealing with pro football.  I must argue there is no sign of that in the film I saw.  The NFL comes across as an institution bent more on protecting its own profits, even at the expense of their own players’ health.

This is actually a very personal story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a pathologist from Nigeria working in Pittsburgh when he ends up studying the tragic death of former Steeler great Mike Webster.  Omalu ends up discovering a brain condition found in Webster, then other former NFL players, called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Omalu naively believes the NFL would want to know about this and deal with it, but finds the league fighting back, trying to marginalize him and his findings.

The best part of the story is not about football, but about how Dr. Omalu wants, more than anything else, to be accepted as an American.  His personal story is what makes this film work.  Will Smith does a masterful job playing the part of Dr. Omalu.

I spent time as a radio play-by-play sportscaster and called many high school and small college contests.  I found a certain beauty and chess-like strategy embedded in the game.

But the movie Concussion reminds us of the ugly side of football, including the steep price former players pay once out of the game and dealing with the many hits to the head any player will experience in a gridiron career.

In my view, Concussion is about football, but at its core is more about an immigrant from Africa trying his best to make his mark in his dream country, the United States.  His struggles and final acceptance embody the real story of Concussion.  On that basis, I recommend it to your holiday movie-going schedule.