Concussion

There's much to admire about this film: the story, the man behind the story, the great care it takes to tell its story. For this alone, Concussion deserves to be seen. But there's something that also feels removed about the film, preventing it from achieving greatness. Start with Omalu himself, who's rendered graciously by Smith (including a flawless Nigerian accent) but who also comes across as inhumanly perfect, which prevents him from being multi-dimensional. The script doesn't allow him much latitude for depth, despite the inclusion of a romantic life. Ditto for Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who gamely brings to life a fairly superficially written character.

The science behind the discovery of CTE is fascinating, but the players who are destroyed by it are even more so, and they unfortunately don't get enough time on-screen. It might have worked better had the film taken more of its time telling their stories and taken fewer detours into topics like Omalu's tensions with an unsupportive, insecure colleague. Concussion is good but not great.