The new movie "Concussion" premiered last night at AFI Fest in Hollywood, and the film "delivers a hard hit to the NFL," according to Beth Harris of the AP. The movie, starring Will Smith, deals with data "linking repeated blows to the heads of its players to dementia and a host of other problems." The NFL's "rocky dealings" with Dr. Bennet Omalu -- portrayed by Will Smith -- "are the focus of the movie's second hour." Omalu "identified the degenerative disease in football players known as CTE." The movie "names real people and uses footage from real NFL games showing the kind of blows to the head that can injure and permanently damage players." Film director Peter Landesman "again denied" a report that the movie was "altered to placate the NFL." Landesman: "It's almost laughable. Anybody who sees this movie knows this movie is a shot between the eyes of the NFL. Not because we're going after the NFL. Just because the truth is our defense." But Harris notes the movie "reveals nothing new." Its focus is on "Omalu's struggle to tell the truth and the tragic deaths of men who played the billion-dollar sport" (AP, 11/11).
SHINING A LIGHT: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Stephen Farber writes the NFL "can't be happy about a high-profile movie bringing the issues into the limelight." Credit "should go to" producer Ridley Scott and the execs who "backed the movie." Although the film is "imperfect, it has unmistakable urgency" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 11/11). THE DAILY BEAST's Jen Yamato notes Smith and Sony "came out hard against" the NFL, "painting a damning picture of a sport too big to admit it's been killing its own players." The film mounts an "incriminating indictment of the NFL's failure to address an increasingly unavoidable spate of mental health issues among its players" (THEDAILYBEAST.com, 11/11). VARIETY's Kristopher Tapley wrote the film "depicts not only Omalu's attempts to hold the NFL's feet to the fire for turning a blind eye to the subject, but also shows the league's efforts to distort and discredit his findings." NFL Senior VP/Health & Safety Policy Jeff Miller has said that the league "would be willing to work" with Sony on raising awareness of the issue. Tapley: "I'm also told the NFL won't fight the purchase of 'Concussion' ads against games." Tapley writes the film is "poised to shake up" the awards race (VARIETY.com, 11/10).
OFF THE PITCH: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joshua Robinson writes while a new documentary on Real Madrid F Cristiano Ronaldo offers "little insight into what makes him a phenomenal soccer player, it paints a picture of an isolated superstar, hounded by fans and the press." The film also shows Ronaldo "hopelessly devoted to his mother, his young son, and his agent," Jorge Mendes, who is the "Scott Boras of European soccer." Mendes is presented as Ronaldo's "closest friend and confidante," appearing on-screen for "more than 10% of the film, mostly on the phone." Ronaldo also "spends his time stewing" over his rivalry with FC Barcelona F Lionel Messi (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/11).
