Today I saw Concussion, starring Will Smith and Albert Brooks.
The NFL is a huge, successful organization based on America's Favorite sport. The more interested the public becomes about football, the more money the institution makes, so it's in their best interest to deliver high-intensity, exciting games.
Years ago, Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith), a leading neuropathologist in Pittsburgh recognized a brain pattern in former NFL players who had passed. He pursued and personally funded the study of this pattern, as he'd never seen it before, and determined that it was caused by repeated blows to the head. Concussions.
The condition, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), causes its victims devastating symptoms such as dementia, depression, paranoia and memory loss. Many of those who were labeled with the affliction after death had committed suicide.
This film tells the story of how Dr. Omalu discovered CTE, and the resistance he met from the NFL once he went public with his findings. Though he had nothing against the sport, he did hope they would acknowledge the dangers their players are put in each time they take to the field. They refused to—and to say any more would spoil the film.
So, for non-sports folks like myself: Why should you see this?
Smith's performance, for one, is nothing short of impressive. He disappears into the accent and you forget you're watching The Fresh Prince.
The visceral way in which the filmmakers tell the story is (although gory) very powerful, as you truly grasp the science behind what's going on because they show it to you.
And, well, if you are a football fan... you should see this too. And then think about all of the money you're pouring into an institution that would rather profit from the talent they hire than preserve the health and sanity of those very individuals.
~~~
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Friday, December 25, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Blind Side
This morning I saw The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron.
The story is filled with all sorts of characters that would seem unappealing: society wives, stereotypical African Americans, likable republicans, annoying children, etc. But the remarkable thing is that it works.
Big Mike (Aaron) is a from-the-streets neglected teenager who is granted a private school education due to the persuasion of a football coach. His grades are awful, his social skills are non-existent and no one, save for one obligatory teacher, seems to be on his side.
Enter Leanne Tuohy (Bullock), the mother of two students at Big Mike's school and a respected member of Memphis high society. As her family is driving home from a school play one chilly night, she sees Big Mike walking down the street in shorts and a T-shirt. She forces her husband to stop the car (sidenote: whatever she wants, her husband apparently delivers) and offers the young man their couch for a night. He reluctantly accepts and ends up spending the Thanksgiving holiday with the family.
When they realize he has no where else to go, they invite him to live in their guest room, where he is presented with the first bed he's ever owned. Yes, it's a tear jerker.
Basically, the entire movie centers around Leanne's (uncharacteristically) selfless actions and Michael's secretive, troubled past. Both parties are understandably slow to trust one another, but somehow the love that surfaces takes care of that.
Because this is based on a true story, I cut it some slack for being unapologetic in its sappiness. I found myself tearing up about every 15 or 20 minutes, but that was okay because I knew what I was in for when I bought the ticket. Boy needs home, boy gets home, boy plays football.
The film is very predictable (because the audience will wonder why the movie was made if things didn't turn out well), but when the acting is as good as it is here, it's not hard to stay with the scenes and enjoy the way they unfold.
Sophisticated drama this is not, but if you need a dose of your faith in humanity renewed, you could do worse than this film.
I'm glad there are real people out there like Leanne Tuohy, and I didn't mind spending a few hours with her character.
~~~
The story is filled with all sorts of characters that would seem unappealing: society wives, stereotypical African Americans, likable republicans, annoying children, etc. But the remarkable thing is that it works.
Big Mike (Aaron) is a from-the-streets neglected teenager who is granted a private school education due to the persuasion of a football coach. His grades are awful, his social skills are non-existent and no one, save for one obligatory teacher, seems to be on his side.
Enter Leanne Tuohy (Bullock), the mother of two students at Big Mike's school and a respected member of Memphis high society. As her family is driving home from a school play one chilly night, she sees Big Mike walking down the street in shorts and a T-shirt. She forces her husband to stop the car (sidenote: whatever she wants, her husband apparently delivers) and offers the young man their couch for a night. He reluctantly accepts and ends up spending the Thanksgiving holiday with the family.
When they realize he has no where else to go, they invite him to live in their guest room, where he is presented with the first bed he's ever owned. Yes, it's a tear jerker.
Basically, the entire movie centers around Leanne's (uncharacteristically) selfless actions and Michael's secretive, troubled past. Both parties are understandably slow to trust one another, but somehow the love that surfaces takes care of that.
Because this is based on a true story, I cut it some slack for being unapologetic in its sappiness. I found myself tearing up about every 15 or 20 minutes, but that was okay because I knew what I was in for when I bought the ticket. Boy needs home, boy gets home, boy plays football.
The film is very predictable (because the audience will wonder why the movie was made if things didn't turn out well), but when the acting is as good as it is here, it's not hard to stay with the scenes and enjoy the way they unfold.
Sophisticated drama this is not, but if you need a dose of your faith in humanity renewed, you could do worse than this film.
I'm glad there are real people out there like Leanne Tuohy, and I didn't mind spending a few hours with her character.
~~~
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