Will Smith is a determined underdog in ‘King Richard’
You know how the story ends – pretty well for everyone concerned – but “King Richard” manages to be compelling to watch anyway.
“King Richard” is the story of Richard Williams, father and first coach of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. The movie stars Will Smith with Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Joe Bell,” “Monsters and Men”) directing.
The film chronicles the lengths Williams went to to ensure his youngest daughters could pursue their dreams – dreams that clearly started out as his – of becoming champion tennis players. It’s an inspiring story especially when you learn all of the struggles off the court that went into their reaching those goals.
Smith has achieved a level of stardom where it’s hard to see him as anyone other than who he is. He’s known for taking on roles that allow him a certain swagger, a chance to be the fun-loving, wisecracking character that made him famous.
Even one of his most compelling performances to date, when he played Muhammad Ali in the 2001 film “Ali,” allowed him to show glimpses of what he is known for because Ali possessed those same characteristics in abundance.
At this point in his career, it’s hard to see Smith in any role without seeing the actor first. But, to his credit, he so fully immerses himself that it doesn’t take long before you’re able to look past the star and see him as Richard Williams.
In “King Richard,” Smith plays a man who is a chronic underdog. He’s chasing a dream that everyone tells him he has little chance of realizing.
He learned to play tennis solely for the purpose of teaching his daughters the game.
He drilled them on the basics of the sport on unkempt courts at a public park in Compton, California. When they weren’t on the court (they practiced rain or shine, by the way) Williams cold-called every professional tennis coach he could find in hopes of getting better training for his kids.
He did this before heading to his overnight job as a security guard.
He didn’t do it alone, though. His wife Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis) was there every step of the way as she also coached the girls when she wasn’t working as a nurse.
Williams fought relentlessly to shape his daughters’ futures. He literally put his life on the line to keep them safe from the bad influences of the neighborhood.
Even when he was able to secure professional coaching, he fought the tennis establishment and the conventional wisdom of what it took to help Venus and Serena reach their potential. The sisters’ first professional coach quit when Williams decided he didn’t like the impact the junior tennis circuit was having on his daughters and pulled them from competitive play.
Unfortunately, he didn’t confine his combativeness to outsiders. He often fought with his family when his drive to push the girls to perfection went too far. And this happened frequently.
Ellis is outstanding as the girls’ mother, Oracene (also called by her nickname, Brandy, in the film). While Richard Williams was the main driver in the girls’ early training, Oracene kept the family together and reeled in her husband on the occasions when he went too far.
When the first professional coach to work with the girls would agree to train only Venus, Oracene stepped in to make sure Serena’s dream didn’t suffer. When Richard decided to pull Venus out of the junior tennis circuit, she reminded him it wasn’t his decision alone.
Richard Williams was clearly the front man in the operation, but Oracene didn’t hesitate to stand up to him when she felt it was necessary. One scene in particular foreshadows the growing strain in their relationship that would eventually result in the couple’s divorce in 2002. (The film ends shortly after Venus turned professional in 1994.)
Saniyya Sidney as Venus and Demi Singleton as Serena also turn in strong performances, particularly on the tennis court. A shortcoming of many sports movies can be actors who aren’t credible as athletes. While it’s doubtful that either will show up on the WTA tour any time soon, it was clear that they had put in time hitting tennis balls.
“King Richard” won’t keep you in suspense. If you don’t know the Williams sisters are among the best women’s tennis players ever (Serena is considered the greatest of all time), you probably wouldn’t bother to watch anyway.
But the determination that Richard Williams showed in making that happen is fascinating to watch. It’s matched only by the hard work that the girls put in on the court.
“King Richard” is an inspiring story of a family beating long odds to succeed. When you find out just how long those odds were, it’s hard not to cheer for them.
‘King Richard’
Three stars
out of four stars
Rated PG-13; violence, language, a sexual reference, drug references
2 hours, 18 minutes
In theaters and on HBO Max