Concussion (2015)

In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

Director:

Peter Landesman

Writers:

Peter Landesman, Jeanne Marie Laskas (based on the GQ article "Game Brain" by)

Stars:

Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Smith	...	Dr. Bennet Omalu
Alec Baldwin	...	Dr. Julian Bailes
Albert Brooks	...	Dr. Cyril Wecht
Gugu Mbatha-Raw	...	Prema Mutiso
David Morse	...	Mike Webster
Arliss Howard	...	Dr. Joseph Maroon
Mike O'Malley	...	Daniel Sullivan
Eddie Marsan	...	Dr. Steve DeKosky
Hill Harper	...	Christopher Jones
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Dave Duerson
Stephen Moyer	...	Dr. Ron Hamilton
Richard T. Jones	...	Andre Waters
Paul Reiser	...	Dr. Elliot Pellman
Luke Wilson	...	Roger Goodell
Sara Lindsey	...	Gracie

Storyline

Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

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Plot Keywords:

concussion | football player | football | chronic traumatic encephalopathy | injection in arm | 

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Taglines:

He will stop at nothing to expose the truth.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material including some disturbing images, and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for the movie, Will Smith and writer and director Peter Landesman observed autopsies, including two done by Dr. Bennet Omalu.

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Goofs

When Dr Omalu is looking for a CT Scan of Mike Webster, his assistant hands him an MRI Scan instead.

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Quotes

Dr. Bennet Omalu: I solved the problem. All they have to do is put on the side of the helmet, "The Surgeon General has determined that playing football is hazardous to your health."
Dr. Cyril Wecht: You got to put it on BOTH sides of the helmet.
[they laugh]

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Connections

Referenced in JGarzzle Presents: The Top 30 Best Movies of the 2010's Decade (2019)

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Soundtracks

How Great Is Our God
Written by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash

User Reviews

I really wanted this to be a great movie ....

Concussion isn't a bad movie - however, with the real-life implications of the story and subject matter this could have been a hard hitting dramatic tour de force.

Instead it is a passable drama. There were many missed opportunities for making it even more dramatic without taking overdramatizing. Some of the scenes with one Dr. explaining the medical condition another Dr.in the most simplistic terms - clearly the writer chose this format for explaining the condition to the audience, but it just seemed strange.

Will Smith's acting was top notch.

The writing was not. Landesman is probably a very good investigative journalist, but needs to hone his chops as a dramatic writer.

I found Alec Baldwin unconvincing as his character - this could have been either a deficit in directing or acting.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Game Brain

Filming Locations:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,513,749, 27 December 2015

Gross USA:

$34,542,474

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,623,572

Company Credits

Production Co:

LStar Capital, Scott Free Productions, The Cantillon Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1