King Richard - Movie Review

Critics Score - 8 of 10

General Audience Score - 8 of 10

My family never had much money growing up, but the struggles and challenges that some of the poor and economically depressed areas of the world have to deal with are something I cannot pretend to speak to, so I will not. And while there certainly is a difference as a parent between trying to keep your kids off the streets and the desperation of trying to provide the single meal a day for your family that’s the norm in some lands, the desperation of parents fighting for their children’s well being is something almost any parent can identify with. King Richard is the latest Will Smith film to drop on HBO Max that chronicles the real life journey of Richard Williams and his efforts to keep his five daughters off the streets, away from drugs and safely growing up in the 1990’s in Compton, Los Angeles. The task of bringing up those kids to just be functional adults is a tall one, but Richard has a plan to train two of his daughters to play professional tennis, their names are Venus and Serena Williams. Even though Richard is a fascinating and eccentric character, watching the trials and decisions he makes to instill character traits and the discipline necessary to achieve greatness in any sport is really something to witness. As he works and pushes his daughters towards their dreams, we get a glimpse at something really special, critics and general audiences alike will enjoy seeing Richard as he transforms his family's life and gets to be the King, even if it is only of his own castle.

SYNOPSIS - We’re introduced to Richard Williams (Will Smith) as he collects used tennis balls from pro shops and fishes them from garbage cans, then hustles tennis instructors in an attempt to get professional tutelage for his two daughters. After loading up his five daughters in a mini bus, he takes them to a local playground that has a tennis court and after sweeping the leaves off it, we see him give his daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), some lessons in the sport. But besides the rigorous training and time he and his wife Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis) must invest in creating future tennis champions, we get a glimpse of the home life and environment that was behind these ladies success. The film focuses on Richard and maybe gives him a bit too much of the credit for his daughters success, a real shocker since this is based on a book of the same name that he himself wrote, but at least the film shows some aspects of fatherhood that he doesn't hit out of the park. Once the girls start getting to the point of playing in tournaments and needing a professional player to train with, the film really picks up some steam and it's captivating to see the portrayal of the experiences of these two budding tennis stars on the rise.

Once Venus is old enough to begin high school, we’ve experienced how a father that might just be crazy like a fox is able to guide his two child prodigies to the starting line of success. With Richard being the focus of the film, we spend most of our time with him but the rest of the supporting cast is doing some excellent acting as well. But Will Smith is doing much of the heavy lifting with his exceptional work and while there’s no denying the quality of his performance, there’s also no knockout scene that solidifies an Oscar nomination in my mind, let alone a win. From what I've read the film stays exceptionally true to real life events and any film based in reality that's doesn't insert a bunch of extra drama into the story for the sake of filmmaking gets kudos from me. The film is inspiring and upbeat, even with the predictable formula of a family overcoming adversity and rising to accomplish things never done before, the screenplay executes the story well and sticks the emotionally upbeat landing.

SUMMARY - With Will Smith's performance leading the way, even though King Richard goes for an almost two and a half hour runtime, most of the movie is well paced and goes by at a nice clip. Even though the film never reaches the level of greatness the Williams sisters eventually do, it’s an excellent piece of cinema, possibly even a Best Picture nominee, that can warm the heart of any peasant, nobleman or King as they watch this Richard and his family.