King Richard review

Father controls daughters’ lives ruining their career playing tennis at a professional level

Will Smith is on a bit of a bad streak when it comes to movies. When was the last time he released a real good original movie? I remember there was a time where everything he touched was a box office smash hit. 

To summarise, he went from this…

To this…

But fans will be pleased to know he’s fantastic in King Richard.

King Richard follows the plan Richard Williams (Will Smith) had for his two daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton). As we all know, they went on to become tennis superstars. However, this movie follows the path set out by Richard, along with his wife Oracene “Brandy” Price (Aunjanue Ellis), in ensuring the success in the foundational years in the careers of his daughters.

Will Smith carries this movie with his charisma. Without him, I can’t imagine this movie working. He brings a fine balance in making you root for Richard but also feel the frustrations in what appears to be a very stubborn character. But you can’t help but love him.

The girls, Saniyya and Demi, also seem to have fun in their roles and luckily they’re not only able to act but they can sure swing a racket! It did seem like they were older than the age they were supposed to portray at the beginning of the movie, however, you would get that when a movie covers a number of years. 

King Richard covers many themes, from bullying when living life in Compton, to racism out of it. With everything going on in the world around racism, this is another reminder of the realities many people had to go through, and are still going through today.

As expected, many scenes brought a tear to my eye. It’s an emotional story of a father and his daughters – that’s just the recipe to see The OddFather cry – and I’m not ashamed of that!

The movie ends a bit too soon for my liking – with a defeat for Venus at her first tournament in years. Yet still ending on a positive note seeing all the support she has. I guess we all know the success both Venus and Serena went on to have so maybe the filmmakers decided on a more somber end point. The end montage showing real footage of Venus and Serena does ensure you leave the cinema feeling good though.

It’s interesting the story focuses so much on Richard and not on his daughters. Granted, he had a huge role to play in their careers, but I wonder how many people would have liked to see more of Venus and Serena’s stories play out. I mean, Serena is pretty much sidelined in this movie – which is insane when you think about her legacy in the sport.

I’d have liked to have seen more of the rivalry between the sisters growing up. I can get pretty competitive with my brother when playing FIFA, so I can’t imagine there not being some good stories to tell of the Williams sisters at their peak. Maybe that’s just me enjoying watching people fight?

As much as I loved Will Smith’s portrayal of Richard, I feel there’s something left out in Richard’s story that would have painted a fuller picture of him. Like the affairs, the resulting children, and the aggressiveness that’s hinted at. Also, whether he was just after limelight himself and whether he actually had his daughter’s interests at heart.

I guess when the Williams family have a say in the project you’ve got to keep them sweet by not going too far.

Despite all that, I really enjoyed King Richard, and hopefully a return to form for Will Smith and future projects.

Verdict

Will Smith uses his abundance of charisma to bring King Richard to life. There’s a lot missing in this story, but the bits they do include are sure to pull on your heart strings and put a smile on your face.