‘King Richard’ Review
PG-13: Some violence, strong language, a sexual reference, and brief drug references
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 19 Minutes
Production Companies: Westbrook Studios, Star Thrower Entertainment, Keepin' It Reel
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Writer: Zach Baylin
Cast: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal
Release Date: November 19, 2021
In Theaters and HBO MAX
King Richard follows the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever. Driven by a clear vision of their future and using unconventional methods, Richard has a plan that will take Venus and Serena Williams from the streets of Compton, California to the global stage as legendary icons. The profoundly moving film shows the power of family, perseverance, and unwavering belief as a means to achieve the impossible and impact the world.
It’s rare to see a sports drama centered around tennis, especially in film. That Billie Jean King flick, Battle of the Sexes, now has some company with King Richard, the story of how Venus and Serena Williams’ dad trained them in unconventional ways to help them strive for greatness. King Richard works as an intimate character study while delivering your typical yet entertaining sports origin story for Venus and Serena. Instead of being your “golly gee” inspirational sports biopic, the film presents a flawed portrait of a controversial figure and doesn’t beat around the bush with both his stubborn harshness and tender love.
Right from the film’s opening, director Reinaldo Marcus Green asks the audience, “What would you do?” as he explores Richard Williams’ personalized routine and the cruel reality of Compton. The first act hits strongly with its depiction of the world the titular character lived in; you feel the weight and the frustration caused by his surroundings, ranging from his invasive neighbor from across the street to the local hood boys who tries to hit on his daughters as he coaches them at a public tennis court. God forbid he tries to confront them, for he gets ass handed to him in front of his own kids. The movie looks you in the face and asks, “What would you do if you were in the same position? If you had all those kids and no role models to push them to greatness?”
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s direction is your standard cinematic fare that blends grit and earnestness, but it shines the most when it’s focused on the tennis match sequences. When you got young Venus Williams (a captivating Saniyya Sidney) doing junior competitions and then real professional matches, Green treats these moments like a grand cinematic event as you watch history unfold. You feel as if you’re on the sidelines cheering for baby Venus Williams. It’s enough to make you want tickets to the next US Open.
The screenplay, penned by Zach Baylin, puts all of this man’s sharp edges into the forefront. At times it feels as if the script tries to soften a rather grainy portrait by adding cheesy moments of Richard being an endearing dad, but it still manages to express some raw honesty. While doing that, the script delivers your above-average underdog sports tale that has the same uplifting energy as Creed, which is fitting since Baylin is writing Creed III’s screenplay. With his feature debut as a screenwriter, he goes above and beyond, exploring characters with authentic flaws.
Every few years or so, Will Smith jumps into the award season pool by starring in a sports vehicle (Ali, Concussion) and he’s absolutely phenomenal as Richard Willams. He does his damndest to nail the motion, speech pattern, and vernacular of the figure while fearlessly depicting his brash edge. The film has plenty of, “Ladies and Gentlemen, for your consideration,” moments to catapult him into the Best Actor award slots, but damn it, he earns it.
While Will Smith is great and delivers an absolute powerhouse of a performance, I gotta bow down to Aunjanue Ellis, who portrays the Williams’ sisters’ mom, Oracene Price. When Richard’s insolence gets the better of him, Price puts his ass in check, and Ellis’ performance is the top-tier supporting actress performance that captivated me unlike anybody else this year. There was a moment where the entire audience had a major visceral reaction because it was the most authentic Black mom action we’d ever seen. She needs to be in the Best Supporting Actress conversations.
King Richard constantly has you seesawing with Richard himself. You don’t know where your allegiance lies in relation to him or how far you’re willing to put up with his ego. I know the raw honesty is essential for a well-rounded character study, but oh boy, you wanna strangle him sometimes. When his hair-brained schemes come to be at the expense of other people, you side with them instead. It attempts to deliver raw honesty and put his flaws at the forefront, but some notable details about his character are brought up only to be dropped immediately. There’s a major bombshell that’s revealed during an argument between Richard and Orcene within the ending of the second act, and the film never does anything with that detail that could add more mystery to his intriguing character. During that moment, I was like, “Whoa, whoa, where are you going? Let’s run that back. Why wasn’t that included in any other part of the film?”
As expected, the film hits the basic formula of its archetype. If you’ve seen just about any sports drama about underdogs rising to the occasion, biopic or not, King Richard isn’t the one to reinvent the wheel but it’s undoubtedly entertaining. Between being a character study of a man carving out his kids from clay and being an origin story for Venus and Serena Williams, this film is the best crowdpleaser of the year. It’s meant to be inspirational and moving by design and while it has formulaic beats, it gets you so invested with its tone, the personality of the script, and the exhilarating filmmaking. King Richard has you completely invested from beginning to end, setting your heart aflame as you’re cheering in your seat.
