King Richard 2021
It’s hard not to like a movie about winners and in tennis there are maybe no bigger winners than Venus and Serena Williams. This movie starts with Venus at about age 11, being coached by her father, Richard Williams. Richard is a colorful character, but doing his best to keep his family out of trouble in Compton, California, by stressing discipline in academics and athletics. The movie is mostly about Richard and while it is generally positive, it doesn’t shy away from his flaws. It almost seems as if Venus (Serena takes a back seat in this movie) succeeds despite her father. You know that eventually Venus is going to be everything her family hopes she would become and Serena would be even better. The story of the sisters is more fun, basically a superhero origin story as they easily swat aside competitors. Then there is also the family drama and drama about how she is coached, ending as Venus starts her professional career at age 14 (and still a couple of years from realizing her potential). Will Smith as Richard Williams is very good playing a complex character who can be completely unreasonable and also deeply caring. The girls who play Venus and her sisters do a nice job as well as their mother. Ultimately the movie is a little lightweight. It is hard to know how much of the success of the Williams sisters is due to their father or whether they were going to be superstars as soon as they got racquets in their hands. The movie is still a nice glimpse into this family before Venus and Serena became one-name superstars.
Written: 04 Dec 2021
Owned on: Digital