DIRECTOR: Reinaldo Marcus Green
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Daniele Lawson and Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew with Tony Goldwyn and Jon Berenthal
WEBSITE: https://www.kingrichardfilm.com/
THE BACK STORY: Hailing from Shreveport, Louisiana, Richard Williams (Will Smith) isn’t the most respected man by his own admission. His wife Oracene – “Brandy” (Aunjanue Ellis) for short – loves him, however, as do his daughters: Tunde (Mikayla Bartholomew), Isha (Daniele Lawson), Lyndrea (Layla Crawford, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and his youngest, Serena (Demi Singleton). While Tunde is set to soon graduate and go on to college and Isha is doing quite well in her studies, it’s Venus and Serena that Richard has the biggest plans for: The two biggest female tennis stars in the world.
A dreamer and a little bit of a schemer, Richard has a couple of obstacles in his way: (1) He doesn’t have any funds to pay the coach he’s looking for to take his girls’ training to the next level; (2) He wants a coach to take the girls on for free … and (3) Since they live in Compton and (4) Are black and live in Compton, Cali., it’s not exactly an enticing prospect to most coaches. But Richard will not be shaken no matter how much life – and the local neighborhood thugs, hating parents of opposing players and anyone else – tries to keep him down.
He has a 78 page plan for his daughters’ future he has no plans of deviating from by any means, even if it results in plenty of conflicts, potential missed opportunities and millions of dollars in the process.
THE REVIEW: An audience pleaser perfect for those who like films that are (1) Based on true events and (2) Present an overall, uplifting message, King Richard hits more than misses and accomplishes the goal of honoring – save for Smith’s terrible “N’awlins” accent – it’s subject’s achievements and their significance.
The film is a crowd pleaser in the fact that while it touches on certain aspects of the Williams’ story, it never goes too deep into the aspects that you know exist. This includes the racism that he and his daughters faced on their journey, Richard’s personal relationships as well as the gang violence near their home that had a very personal affect on their family. That’s possibly why the film’s best moments come in the instances where these subjects are touched upon, versus some of the lighter fare that that provides both comic relief and a bit of an after school special vibe at times. (The best exchange is by far the sequence where Richard and Oracene discuss their marriage in a raw yet productive fashion in a way to which that many couples – possibly Smith himself given his real-life spouse’s “entanglement” – can likely relate.) But knowing that this film is meant to focus on the positives and overcoming barriers, it’s understandable why it doesn’t dig deeper into these things. It does enough for you to get the point, even if there are times it seems a bit familiar.
That being said, King Richard ultimately presents a portrait of an imperfect man trying to do the best he can for his family, even if at times his actions seem to (or do) accomplish the exact opposite of that task. Jon Berenthal gets to show his range as an actor playing something other than a gun wielding heavy for a change as the oft-manipulated by Richard tennis coach Rick Macci and Ellis is a fantastic female counterpart to Smith’s Richard.
The film wouldn’t work, however, without the performances of Sidney and Singleton as Venus and Serena, respectively. Their athletics match their ability to deliver emotional connection to the audience, their talent underscoring their father’s drive and sometimes misguided actions since he knows what they could achieve one day.
Given what they have achieved, director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s tribute to the man largely responsible for getting them on their way to do so might not exactly be fit for a king … But it’s definitely close enough.
