A One Mann’s Movies review of “King Richard” (2021).
Continuing my ‘Oscar catch-up’, “King Richard” is a biopic of Richard Williams, father and mentor to Venus and Serena Williams. I missed this one at the cinema due to my last bout of Covid, but I heard people raving about it. And they were right!
You can find “King Richard” on Amazon Prime (currently for a reasonable rental fee).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Richard WIlliams (Will Smith) is bringing up his family of girls in Compton California with his wife Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis). All are brought up within a strict regime of respect for themselves and others and with a fierce work ethic. But Richard’s prime focus is on Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) – his two children through his marriage with Oracene – who he claims to have exceptional talent on the tennis courts.
But are they really the “two Mozarts” of the tennis world? And coming from their under-privileged background, can they REALLY come ‘Straight outta Compton’ into the world professional tennis circuit. (#spoilers. Yes!).
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Jon Bernthal.
Directed by: Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Written by: Zach Baylin.
Twitter Handles: #KingRichardFilm
“King Richard” Review:
Positives:
- With all of the truly terrible scenes coming from Ukraine this week, I really needed an uplifting story of success against adversity, and this was it. It really is an incredible achievement that a father managed to bludgeon his way through the privileged elite to achieve his goals. But the movie does raise some searching questions. Was he just plain lucky that his obstinate views came out good? Do you approve of his ‘hot-housing’ of his kids to better themselves?
- Both Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis are exceptional as Mr and Mrs Williams. Both are Oscar nominated. Will Smith, particularly having just won the SAG award, would be my top choice for the Acting Oscar. His dead-eyed portrayal of Richard is a wonder to behold , so unlike the laughing and joking Smith that we know and love.
- Not getting the awards attention but also key to the success of the film are the performances of the two girls by Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton. And they can clearly play tennis!
Negatives:
- The movie is feel-good through focusing on the aspect of Richard William’s life that it does. If you read a bit on the background of the man (see wiki here), he has a much more colourful life , including having nine children through three different marriages. A broader biopic of the man would make for a movie that was far less ‘cutesy’.
- It might need to be watched again in slo-mo, but I’m not convinced that all the returns that the girls made in their matches were necessarily “in”!
Summary Thoughts on “King Richard”
This is a teriffic movie, uplifting and entertaining throughout. This is a movie about empowering young woman to get to the top of their game – literally. As Richard says “The most strongest, the most powerful, the most dangerous creature on this whole earth is a woman who knows how to think. Ain’t nothing she can’t do”. As such, it’s a good one to show young girls* to illustrate what can be achieved with talent and dedication.
(*Although a 12A, I would class this as a relatively ‘lite’ 12A: includes racial bigotry, some gang violence and moderate language).
Trailer for “King Richard”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKP_0z52ZAw .
