Will Smith Looks for Oscar Nod #3 in ‘Concussion’ trailer from Sony Pictures
After a string of critical and financial bombs (including the notorious disaster After Earth, which co-starred his son Jaden), Will Smith is looking for a comeback with the very baity Oscar vehicle Concussion, whose trailer debuted today from Sony Pictures.
[box type=”shadow” align=”aligncenter” class=”” width=””]Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful – and beloved – institutions in the world.[/box]
Part drama, part thriller, the film could play well with Smith fans as well as the Academy, who’ve awarded the actor with two Oscar nominations already (2001’s Ali and 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness) which, incidentally, were also biopics released on or near Christmas.
The film, which is based in part on the GQ article “Game Brain” by Jeanne Marie Laskas, also stars Academy Award nominees Alec Baldwin (The Cooler), Albert Brooks (Broadcast News) and Gugu-Mbatha Raw (Beyond the Lights) and is directed by Peter Landesman (Kill the Messenger).
Concussion hits theaters Christmas Day.
The trailer:
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2026 Cannes Film Festival Winners: Cristian Mingiu’s ‘Fjord’ Takes the Palme, Seventh Win in a Row for NEON - May 23, 2026
- Cannes 2026: Sandra Wollner’s ‘Everytime’ Wins Un Certain Regard Grand Prize - May 22, 2026
- ‘Coward’ Review: Belgian Soldiers Find Love in Lukas Dhont’s Hidden Romance Masterpiece [A] Cannes - May 21, 2026
AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 345: Recapping the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Looking to the Awards Future 
‘The Beloved’ Review: Javier Bardem Makes a Meal Out of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Movie-Making Buffet [B] 
‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Review: Valeska Grisebach’s Observant Thriller Examines the Grey Zones of Morality [B+] 
‘Minotaur’ Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Timeless, Domestic Epic is an Unflinching Look at Putin’s Russia [A] Cannes