This review was published on September 4, 2021 after the film had been shown at Telluride.
Biopics that are made with the blessings of their subjects should be treated with caution as they can paint a more rosy picture than what history has to say. But even with that in mind, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s movie about one of the most famous — and infamous — sports parents is surprisingly more reflective and poignant than expected given its difficult subject.
“King Richard”This is not about an easy woman. It’s about a tough disciplinarian, a crude decision maker, and a flawed person who learned to talk a big game so his girls could play the biggest games.
Green’s movie picks up on Richard Williams’ hustle from the first shot. Williams (Will Smith), who is pitching tennis legends to his daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney), and Serena [Demi Soloton] can receive proper coaching. Williams and Brandi (Aunjanue Eliss) have never had to do this on their own. Richard sees a bright future for his daughters but all he can do is look around. Then, he finally hits a breakthrough, and a coach agrees to train Venus — but not her sister. Williams sees this as a chance to make his prodigies the best tennis players in the world.
Certainly, there’s a film to be made about Venus and Serena’s experiences, but this is not that movie. Let someone else tell the story about two Black girls who survived the pressure of being successful in this all-or-nothing sport. Zach Baylin’s screenplay is, as the title declares, about their father, but it’s also about parental anxieties and trying to do right by one’s children.
The criticism that telling two powerful women’s stories through the eyes of their father is valid, but their stories are so intertwined with his that exploring what drove Richard Williams to a near-fanatical study of the sport so that his daughters could succeed proves to be its own interesting window into their lives. It is actually more interesting. “King Richard”This could be a prelude for any movie they make about their experiences.
Smith’s accent is distracting as he plays the title role. It’s apparent that his accent did not go that far in the clips shown. Smith is a supportive father and coach who motivates his daughters to victory, but that aside, Smith gives a touching performance.
Thanks to Baylin’s writing, we avoid an entirely rosy and false picture of the determined dad. Yes, he’s that, but he also has a quick temper, doesn’t always take his wife or daughters’ voices into consideration, and his brash style certainly lands him on a lot of people’s bad sides. But in that story, there’s also an effort by a parent who wants to give their kids the chances he and his wife never had and the willingness to shelve their ambitions in order to protect his girls, imperfect as their plans may seem.
The discussion of burnout in the movie is timely, a surprising acknowledgment of how these high-pressure environments can affect a child’s mind. The movie barely mentions why Venus and Serena were chosen to receive their parents’ focus when both Richard and Brandi had kids from other marriages, but what’s on the screen is still a moving portrait of a Black parent, showing love and encouragement, wanting to save their kids and give them the world.
The actresses playing the women in Richard’s life each come to stand out on their own against Smith’s hearty dramatics. Ellis is able to bring out Brandi Williams’ character when the pain of being unable to make big decisions becomes too great. Richard is knocked off his feet more than once by her, and she’s one of few to criticize his BS.
Sidney has a great impression on the big-screen, maturing Venus from her childhood to her teenage years and finding her voice in opposition to her father. There’s a moment during a match when she turns to face the camera with a newly focused scowl, and the Telluride audience gasped and laughed in kind. Her whole body was in the game in a way it hadn’t been before. Singleton starts off as the more silent sister, but she too learns to step out of both her father and sister’s shadows, advocating for herself and longing to be taken seriously as a competitor.
“King Richard” may be a fairly straightforward biopic, but it’s an enjoyable one, giving viewers the chance to enjoy a heartwarming if not uncomplicated story, talk about parenting and the stresses the many characters faced on their way to the history books. Cinematographer Robert Elswit visually hones in on the film’s conventional intent by shooting in warm, hopeful tones, a look that extends from the Williams’ home in Compton to their resettlement in Florida. Composer Kris Bowers’ score is similarly rich and glowing, swelling the music just as Richard and the girls get their hard-won victories and touching moments.
Editor Pamela Martin seems to have had a field day channeling some of the ESPN-style sports-montage style with the kind of upbeat music you’d catch at the gym, but she’s also just as great at letting the tensions percolate in a life-defying match for Venus. Green orchestrates these various elements into a symphony that’s a tribute to hard-working parents, however difficult they may be, and to showing the origin story that begins a generation before our heroes became famous.
“King Richard”It will be available in US theaters as well as on HBO Max Nov.