Venus and Serena Williams are two of the most successful women's tennis players of all time. Their tenacity, grit, and dedication to the sport has allowed them to soar to unprecedented heights–and their pure talent has afforded them the ability to cement themselves in the history books. However, everyone starts somewhere, and this is their story. Back in the 1990’s King Richard (Will Smith) as he was known to some, takes his daughters, Venus (Sinayya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), through the dangerous streets of Compton as he plans to turn them into the next big thing in sports. Richard will face difficulties with his family, but he refuses to give up on his daughters.
I’ll be the first one to admit, I don’t like either Venus or Serena Williams. The reason behind why I dislike them is irrelevant in regard to this review–and I’ll do my best not to let my opinion of the two tennis stars affect the things I have to say about King Richard. Regardless of my opinion of the two athletes, the fact is that the sisters are two of the best athletes that the world has ever seen. This story shines a different light on them, and viewers are able to see where they came from, the struggles they faced, and all that led them down the road toward victory.
I almost always have expectations when heading into a film for the first time, but I can honestly say that I had none when viewing King Richard. I knew the film focused on the adolescent Williams sisters and their father, and that’s it. I enjoy having expectations, and I enjoy having a little bit of background information before I start a film–but it was nice knowing next to nothing about King Richard, because I was pleasantly surprised by both the content and the tensity present throughout the film. Richard Williams is a crazy man–and I mean this in the best way possible. He’s dedicated to his family. He’s not just dedicated to making them better athletes or students, but he’s dedicated to making them better people. Richard is willing to risk everything for a better future for his daughters. He’s, in many ways, what the world needs–and this character is incredibly relatable and interesting.
There is something playful about the narrative, something simple and understandable about King Richard. I had no idea of the hardships present throughout the Williams’ childhood, and director Reinaldo Marcus Green and writer Zach Baylin find a way to manipulate those tense, harrowing situations into something accessible. Viewers understand the full scope of Venus and Serena’s lives–from the constant practice to the violent streets of Compton, and their familial status to their personalities, the world now knows what life was like for the sisters as a result of this wonderful writing. I genuinely appreciate how honest King Richard is–it doesn’t pull any punches or attempt to glorify the titular character, but rather it allows viewers to form their own opinion on everyone on screen. We see the good and the bad of everyone, and through the tennis-led journey, viewers see all.
The best actors in Hollywood are capable of altering who they are and how they act in order to convey emotion and other aspects of the role they’ve been casted in–but viewers are always aware of the fact that it’s an actor. However, there are moments throughout King Richard when I forgot that I was watching Will Smith portray Richard Williams and believed that I was seeing Williams himself on screen. Smith has had a brilliant career so far, beginning with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and starring in films such as The Pursuit of Happyness and I Am Legend. He’s never failed to entertain–and this may be a stretch–but it’s possible that this is his best performance to date. He changes everything about himself, everything that makes him Will Smith, and he embodies Richard Williams with greatness–and his nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role is well deserved as a result.
King Richard deserves all of the Oscar buzz, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it belongs among the ranks of the best films of 2021. It’s relevant, it covers two of the most popular athletes of the past twenty years, and Smith’s (and everyone else’s) ability to fill the shoes of their characters is incredible. However, I’m not sure it hits the emotional notes as strongly as it needs to in order to win this award. Overall, King Richard is an incredible film, and it does a spectacular job of bringing to life the story of the Williams sisters. It’s fun, passionate, and tense–and it's seriously a grand slam.
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Written by Zach Baylin.
Starring Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson, Layla Crawford, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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