By Nick DelVescovo
Film Critic
“King Richard” was released in theaters on Nov. 19 as well as on HBO Max the same day. It was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the unconventional but determined coach and father of the legendary tennis sister duo, Venus and Serena Willams, played by Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, respectively. The film additionally features Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal and Tony Goldwyn. “King Richard” is a delightful movie that follows Richard Williams and his ultimate plan of making his daughters into “the next two Michael Jordans.”
Even though the film is titled “King Richard,” if I’m being honest, I went into this movie expecting it to be a film about Venus and Serena. While I was definitely not disappointed with the film and believe it is one of the better performances Smith has delivered, it was at its core a movie about Richard Williams. I had next-to-no background knowledge of Richard’s style of parenting, coaching or how he planned the success of his daughters. It was very interesting to see how their lives played out and how Richard was such an integral part. For me, it makes Venus and Serena’s careers and achievements seem like the stars aligning perfectly. Not only are they incredibly talented individuals who are clearly both gifted, they also had a father who seemingly instinctively knew his daughters were going to become superstars, and acted on that intuition. Richard Williams prepared a 78-page plan detailing the future success and accomplishments of his daughters; his determination and insane confidence throughout the film is inspiring.
“King Richard” is ultimately a character film. The acting and portrayal of everyone in the film is on-point and everyone delivered. Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton were both really good and gave a kind of insight on the lives of child prodigies. They are some of the best tennis players on Earth, but at the same time, especially in the context of this film, they are humans who laugh, cry and love. The set design and wardrobe of this movie is also greatly executed. I enjoyed and appreciated the atmosphere presented to the viewer throughout the film. If I had to critique any part of “King Richard,” it would just be the pacing. With a runtime of about two and a half hours, there are times when some scenes and acts seem dragged out. Ultimately though, the small amount of dragged-out scenes in the movie are worth it. Every part of the film plays out and makes sense in the end.
Some may be turned off by the idea of a movie about tennis, but I promise you it is very enjoyable. I’m not the biggest tennis fan, but the sequences that involve the sport had me at the edge of my seat. There is a sequence near the end that is almost 10 minutes long that had me involved the entire time. I can somewhat relate the tennis scenes in “King Richard” to “Queen’s Gambit,” but better. Reinaldo Marcus Green does a great job of making the tennis sequences very enjoyable. In sum, you don't need to be a fan of the sport to enjoy “King Richard.” It is a really enjoyable film that presented me with a part of Venus and Serena’s life that I wasn’t too familiar with, and I was very pleased with the outcome.
Score: 4/5 Stars
