2022 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Richard Williams is becoming a household name. First with a narrative feature in 2021 called King Richard, and now with a feature-length documentary called One the Line: The Richard Williams Story–his hard work and dedication to his daughters Venus and Serena Williams has become a popular topic as a result. In this documentary, On the Line: The Richard Williams Story focuses not only on the upbringing of the Williams sisters, but the backstory of Richard himself and how that made him the man he is today. With a series of footage from the 1980’s until today, Stuart McClave’s On the Line: The Richard Williams Story covers Richard Williams in his entirety.
Richard Williams is arrogant, over-confident, passionate, caring, and dedicated. He has spent the majority of his adult life working toward finding his daughters, Serena and Venus, success in the field of tennis–and it’s no secret that he’s been triumphant in these endeavors. Richard is larger-than-life, and to capture every bit of his character is a tall task, yet McClave, his team, and the series of filmmakers over the course of the past forty years manage to capture each and every intricacy of what has made Richard both a social pariah and a complete success. On the Line: The Richard Williams Story refuses to pick sides, and every single piece of Richard’s life comes to light in this tell-all documentary.
I hate when documentaries are one sided, when it’s clear that the filmmakers have an agenda and want to paint a particular person or event in a specific light. It takes so much away from the subject of the film, and it can be misleading in the grand scheme of the topic. On the Line: The Richard Williams Story does a wonderful job of remaining neutral and presenting viewers with nothing more than facts. Viewers see the headlines depicting Richard as a villain, how he took money from his daughters, and that his arrogance is misguided–but the reality is that these are the things that were said and written about the titular individual. McClave does everything that he can to show the world that Richard, while ultimately driving his daughters to success, was not always viewed as the effective and affectionate father that outsiders may picture him now. This is the content that I want to see; I want to know everything that happened–I want to see and hear the drama, and I want to know that not everything was always rainbows and unicorns. That makes Richard more accessible, it allows viewers to see that he’s like everyone else–that he has flaws, he’s been viewed in a negative light, and still he has managed to rise from the ashes and find success. On the Line: The Richard Williams Story does a wonderful job of capturing this aspect of his life, and that’s that most attractive quality a documentary can have.
The passion present in On the Line: The Richard Williams Story is clear from the opening moments–not just from the filmmakers, but also from Richard himself. He’s a talented man, not just because he is good at playing tennis, but because he is unwilling to yield to the challenges that he faced throughout the course of his life. He always had a vision for his daughters, and he was and is willing to do whatever it takes to see their continued success. That sort of passion and dedication is touching, and On the Line: The Richard Williams is full of it. This passion reaches out and touches viewers, and the ability of the crew is what allows this to come to life in the exhilarating fashion that it does.
Not a moment passes throughout On the Line: The Richard Williams Story where the passion isn’t felt, where viewers don’t understand the struggles of Richard and his family over the course of the past forty-ish years, and that allows viewers to remain engaged throughout the film’s duration. While most of Richard and his family’s lives have revolved around tennis, On the Line: The Richard Williams Story is by no means a sports documentary, but rather a documentary about love and perseverance. This fact should be enough to warrant a massive crowd, and I believe that it is. On the Line: The Richard Williams Story is a touching tribute to Richard Williams, and nothing appears to be overlooked, not even the slightest of details. Whether you love or hate Richard Williams, I think that On the Line: The Richard Williams Story is something I think everyone can appreciate.
Directed by Stuart McClave.
Starring Richard Williams, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Oracene Price, Rick Macci, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
Comentarios