309. King Richard; movie review

 

 

KING RICHARD

Cert 12A

144 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat, references to racism, infrequent strong language

Is he a serial womaniser who had 20 children? Is he at least borderline autistic,? Did he want success for himself or his children?

All of these questions and many more have been thrown up in the wake of the release of King Richard.

But the truth remains that Richard Williams nurtured two of the greatest tennis players of all time from a background which made such success unthinkable.

Williams was rebuffed again and again by potential sponsors and coaches who failed to believe in his dream of having "the next two Mozarts."

However, despite adversity (even being beaten up by gangs near their home in Compton, Los Angeles), he stuck with a plan he had devised for his two daughters, Venus and Serena, before they were born.

King Richard has been controversial with other family members but clearly Serena and Venus are happy with it because they are  executive producers.

And. however, difficult their father may have been, the facts remain the facts.

They are portrayed by Smith in one of his most electrifying performances yet. He is rightly being touted as an Oscar contender.

Reinaldo Marcus Green's movie follows the Williams' story from their early days of hitting balls at their little-used courts in Compton where tennis was seen as a sport for white people.

Their father knew nothing of the sport but immersed himself in its detail as a way of bringing his family out of such a tough neighbourhood.

He is seen coaching Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) and driving them on with a rigorous regime which does not meet with universal approval.

He pursues the right deals for his girls with equal single-mindedness and shrugs off setbacks.

Smith's skill is developing the nuances of Richard Williams. He is far from a straightforward hero - indeed, he is in many ways, a strange, quirky individual.

But this phase of his life and the development of his girls into global celebrities is definitely a story worth telling.

Will Smith for an Oscar? Maybe.

Reasons to watch: Engaging true story and Will Smith is great

Reasons to avoid: Lots of tennis talk

Laughs: Two

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? According to the Women's Tennis Association, Venus has made $42,280,541 in prize money as of November 2021, making her second in all-time earnings—next to Serena, who has made a career total of $94,518,971 in prize money

The final word. Reinaldo Marcus Green: "It was the story that the family wanted to tell. I was only going to be involved in a movie that the family wanted to make.  The girls attribute Richard to having the idea for them to play tennis, having the plan. I felt like it was an interesting window into their lives, because the story becomes a family movie. Richard has the plan but he has Oracene and the girls to help execute it.  It’s a really interesting window into that period of time in their lives that I think will give audiences something unexpected about the Williamses." America Magazine

 

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