Concussion

At this point, we can officially start calling the box office for Star Wars: The Force Awakens astonishing. Last week’s record breaking opening was massively impressive, but the endurance showcased by the film’s second weekend is even more so. Not only is the film doing well, but word of mouth is strong enough to propel it to a sophomore weekend gross that most movies would kill to earn in their entire runs. However, the holiday weekend was kind to many movies, including most of the five new releases, making this one of the strongest top 10s we’ve seen in quite some time.

Dr. Bennet Omalu, the subject of the new biopic Concussion, was the first man to publish a study linking head injuries suffered playing football to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and his pioneering work as a forensic pathologist deserves recognition and appreciation. But that pioneering work involved things like autopsies, painstaking research, and lots of paperwork — not exactly the stuff of blockbusters — combined with (at least in Concussion’s telling of the tale) a lot of scolding and righteously indignant speeches. This subject is hugely important, but as shaped by writer/director Peter Landesman, it’s not especially cinematic.

Year-end awards are supposed to honor the best in cinema. But it might be more accurate to say they honor a narrow sliver of the best in cinema; only films released from October thru December; only the stuff promoted by the big studios; only movies deemed “important” or “serious” or “biopics about dead famous people.” The impulse to make lists and give out prizes is a good one, but more often than not that impulse results in one big echo chamber, with pundits predicting — and critics and guilds rewarding — the same half-dozen contenders.

A new trailer for Concussion has arrived, featuring more footage from the upcoming sports drama starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist who discovers just how traumatic — and fatal — head injuries can be for football players. Based on actual events (and ongoing controversy), Concussion looks like a very different kind of sports movie, though there’s still something a bit average about these trailers.

The first trailer for Sony’s Concussion dropped earlier this week, showing off the new Will Smith football drama centering on the doctor who challenged the NFL over the longterm effects of repeated head injuries. Although the film doesn’t hit theaters until Christmas, it’s already inspiring a bit of real-life drama as reports suggest that Sony may have had the script changed to avoid angering the NFL, while the league itself has begun to develop its own game plan.

As of December 2012, thirty-three former NFL players have been formally diagnosed post-mortem with CTE. As the NFL continues to try to bury the issue (they recently denied permission to Seau’s daughter to speak in-person at her father’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony over fears she would publicize the CTE debate), a new film looks to tackle the issue head on and today we have our first look at Concussion.