KING RICHARD
****
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Screenwriter: Zach Baylin
Principal cast:
Will Smith
Aunjanue Ellis
Saniyya Sidney
Demi Singleton
Jon Bernthal
Tony Goldwyn
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 144 mins.
Australian release date: 13 January 2022.
Will Smith’s most recent films have either been formulaic, or worse, below par – I’m thinking of 2020’s Bad Boys for Life and especially Gemini Man in 2019 – so it’s great to see the actor stretching himself and in top form in a non-action role in King Richard. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin, it tells the behind-the-scenes story of the early years of tennis giants Venus and Serena Williams and the training regime that their father Richard (Smith) devised for them and stuck to with an almost religious fervour. Smith successfully and powerfully strides the fine line between showing his character as a loving, caring father and depicting him as a controlling tyrant more interested in his own success than his daughters’. It’s a masterful performance and it earned him the Best Picture – Motion Picture Drama award at this year’s Golden Globes, beating heavy-duty contenders like Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth) and Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog.
Richard Williams was a driven man. Before Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) were even born he’d written a 78-page plan outlining how he was going to turn his girls into tennis champions. He, his second wife Oracene ‘Brandy’ Williams (Aunjanue Ellis, last seen here on the big screen in If Beale Street Could Talk), her three daughters from her first marriage, and Venus and Serena live in the tough Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton when we first encounter them. Dad’s a security guard and mum’s a nurse but when they’re not hard at work the pair of them devote themselves to Venus and Serena’s training, night or day, rain or shine. Any other spare time Richard has he spends creating videos of the girls to show to professional coaches, in the hope of convincing one to coach them for free. He’s repeatedly knocked back but he’s nothing if not committed and refuses to be put off. Then, one day he ‘drops in’ on Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) when he’s coaching Pete Sampras and John McEnroe and he agrees to take on one of the girls, Venus. So begins a series of dramatic changes for the family, changes that bring Richard into conflict with coaches and sponsors because his stubborn belief in ‘the plan’ won’t allow him to listen to any other voice than his own.
King Richard, like so many other current releases, runs long at almost two-and-a-half hours (what ever happened to the 100-minute running time?) but it doesn’t wear out its welcome. It’s also not really a sport film; more of a family saga. The setups within the Williams’s homes and the Volkswagen van that Richard hauls the kids around in are full of touching, but not overly sentimental, scenes that reveal the strength of their loving, familial bonds. Ellis is terrific as Brandy, a no-nonsense woman who can see right through Richard although she shares his devotion to creating a pair of future world champions; Sidney and Singleton are standouts as the budding stars, imbuing their characters with just the right amount of teenage rebellion and filial duty. Both are delightful. Tech credits are uniformly excellent. Special praise should go the Foley guys who have come up with a super-energised ‘thwack’ for the sound of tennis balls being smashed! Throw in a new track from Beyoncé, Be Alive, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a tournament-winning movie. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has become King Richard. All hail the king!
Screenwriter: Zach Baylin
Principal cast:
Will Smith
Aunjanue Ellis
Saniyya Sidney
Demi Singleton
Jon Bernthal
Tony Goldwyn
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 144 mins.
Australian release date: 13 January 2022.
Will Smith’s most recent films have either been formulaic, or worse, below par – I’m thinking of 2020’s Bad Boys for Life and especially Gemini Man in 2019 – so it’s great to see the actor stretching himself and in top form in a non-action role in King Richard. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin, it tells the behind-the-scenes story of the early years of tennis giants Venus and Serena Williams and the training regime that their father Richard (Smith) devised for them and stuck to with an almost religious fervour. Smith successfully and powerfully strides the fine line between showing his character as a loving, caring father and depicting him as a controlling tyrant more interested in his own success than his daughters’. It’s a masterful performance and it earned him the Best Picture – Motion Picture Drama award at this year’s Golden Globes, beating heavy-duty contenders like Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth) and Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog.
Richard Williams was a driven man. Before Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) were even born he’d written a 78-page plan outlining how he was going to turn his girls into tennis champions. He, his second wife Oracene ‘Brandy’ Williams (Aunjanue Ellis, last seen here on the big screen in If Beale Street Could Talk), her three daughters from her first marriage, and Venus and Serena live in the tough Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton when we first encounter them. Dad’s a security guard and mum’s a nurse but when they’re not hard at work the pair of them devote themselves to Venus and Serena’s training, night or day, rain or shine. Any other spare time Richard has he spends creating videos of the girls to show to professional coaches, in the hope of convincing one to coach them for free. He’s repeatedly knocked back but he’s nothing if not committed and refuses to be put off. Then, one day he ‘drops in’ on Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) when he’s coaching Pete Sampras and John McEnroe and he agrees to take on one of the girls, Venus. So begins a series of dramatic changes for the family, changes that bring Richard into conflict with coaches and sponsors because his stubborn belief in ‘the plan’ won’t allow him to listen to any other voice than his own.
King Richard, like so many other current releases, runs long at almost two-and-a-half hours (what ever happened to the 100-minute running time?) but it doesn’t wear out its welcome. It’s also not really a sport film; more of a family saga. The setups within the Williams’s homes and the Volkswagen van that Richard hauls the kids around in are full of touching, but not overly sentimental, scenes that reveal the strength of their loving, familial bonds. Ellis is terrific as Brandy, a no-nonsense woman who can see right through Richard although she shares his devotion to creating a pair of future world champions; Sidney and Singleton are standouts as the budding stars, imbuing their characters with just the right amount of teenage rebellion and filial duty. Both are delightful. Tech credits are uniformly excellent. Special praise should go the Foley guys who have come up with a super-energised ‘thwack’ for the sound of tennis balls being smashed! Throw in a new track from Beyoncé, Be Alive, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a tournament-winning movie. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has become King Richard. All hail the king!