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Concussion

2015

Peter Landesman

Will Smith, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks ...

6.2

10,747

Drama Dr. Bennet Omalu was the first to identify chronic brain damage as a factor in the deaths of some National Football League players. The story follows the David-vs.-Goliath journey of Dr. Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of football-related brain trauma in a pro player and fought to bring awareness to the public. In his search for the truth behind the devastating malady, Omalu’s quest humanizes the price ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Stephen Farber The Hollywood Reporter	"It's thoroughly engrossing and entertaining. (...) Smith transforms himself impressively. (...) Although Smith is the star of the film, this is a true ensemble movie, in which every performer enriches the tapestry."	POS
United States	Andrew Barker Variety	"Effective enough as a cautionary tale about willful ignorance and as a showcase for Will Smith (...) the film is let down by its confused and cliche-riddled screenplay"	NEU
United States	Manohla Dargis The New York Times	"While 'Concussion' has some fine things going for it, notably science and Will Smith, it lacks the exciting, committed filmmaking that rises to the level of its outrageous topic"	NEU
United States	Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times	"Concussion is a good movie that could have been great without trying so hard to be great (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of four)"	POS
United Kingdom	Nigel M. Smith The Guardian	"A harrowing subject for a film, then, but somehow Landesman – who also wrote the screenplay – never manages to turn it into a gripping movie (...) Rating: ★★ (out of five)"	NEU
United States	Anne Thompson IndieWire	"This earnest true story is more passionate advocacy than effective drama (... The movie is more mainstream commercial fare than awards fodder"	NEU
United States	Inkoo Kang The Wrap	"The tale (...) is timely but dreary and dramatically inept"	NEG
United States	Scott Mendelson Forbes	Will Smith is terrific (...) Concussion is a rare Hollywood studio programmer that might actually make a difference"	POS
United States	Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"The film goes slack when its screws most need to tighten. Luckily, Smith — flawless in accent and commitment to Omalu's worthy cause — grips you from first to last (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of four)"	NEU
United States	Colin Covert Minneapolis Star Tribune	"'Concussion' is a decent but uneven film (...) Landesman focuses on Omalu's personal life more than a thriller requires (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of four)"	POS
United States	Joe Morgenstern The Wall Street Journal	"A mainstream studio movie (...) The great strength of “Concussion” is its star’s performance"	NEU

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