King Richard (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Written by: Zach Baylin
Starring: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal
Runtime: 136 min
Synopsis: Armed with a clear vision and a brazen 78-page plan, Richard Williams (Will Smith) is determined to write his daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), into history. Training on Compton, California's neglected tennis courts - rain or shine - the girls are shaped by their father's unyielding commitment and their mother's balanced perspective and keen intuition, defying the seemingly insurmountable odds and prevailing expectations laid before them.
Cinema isn't my one and only passion. In fact, my love for filmmaking only truly emerged in the first years of university. Until then, my dream was to become a football player - I know, it couldn't be more cliche. Nevertheless, I've always loved tennis, and I've been following the sport ever since Roger Federer started winning basically everything. I played tennis competitively for a few years, and I still do, but less than before. Therefore, in the same way I supported other voices within film criticism to take the spotlight in movies that they could analyze with broader knowledge/experience, now I genuinely believe it's my turn to step up.
I didn't know how in-depth King Richard would go about the Williams sisters' careers. Being this a film about how their father helped them become some of the best tennis players in the history of the sport, I highly doubted that they would tackle some controversies that occurred throughout their careers since these are undoubtedly awful stains. Fortunately, these are far from hurting their iconic achievements, especially Serena's. Demi Singleton (Goldie) portrays the latter, while Saniyya Sidney (Hidden Figures) interprets the older sister, Venus. Will Smith (Bad Boys for Life), of course, plays the father, Richard. I'll start precisely with these actors.
Singleton and Sidney are absolutely phenomenal. From the dramatic moments to the tennis sequences - they actually learned and practiced a lot to play in a similar style as the real sisters - the actresses shine in everything they touch. King Richard focuses more on Venus than Serena, so Sidney gets more screentime, and honestly, I would gladly start the awards buzz for her performance. I doubt she'll get the deserved recognition, but only because Will Smith steals the show entirely. As Richard, the famous actor delivers one of my favorite performances of his whole career.
His interpretation of a dedicated, passionate, overprotective father is Oscar-worthy. Smith manages to walk that thin line between an annoying, frustrating character who can't see something obviously wrong, and a genuine, preoccupied parent who really only wants the best for his daughters. From standing up against bullies to meaningful, vital pieces of advice, Richard is far from the perfect father, but no viewer can blame him for not trying. His rigorous education and plan-driven mentality might sound crazy for some people, but the tremendous love for his family is always in the foreground. Smith is no short of impressive. The rest of the cast is also remarkable, but Jon Bernthal (Ford v Ferrari) as Rick Macci deserves a special shoutout.
Story-wise, I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of biopics. I often find them formulaic and too similar to one another. King Richard still follows those formulas and archetypes. However, just like in every other movie of this genre, the viewers will connect more with the narrative if it's about someone or something they actually know about. In my particular case, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for a single second. I find the runtime appropriate. The plot points are all important and impactful. Character development comes naturally without dull exposition or forced dialogues. In addition to all of this, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of screentime dedicated to actual tennis matches and practices.
From the sport standpoint, I believe they nailed pretty much everything. Debutant screenwriter Zach Baylin and director Reinaldo Marcus Green (Joe Bell) successfully transmit to the audience how insanely difficult it is to become a pro tennis player, let alone one of the very best. From the nearly excruciating physical and mental effort to something as trivial as time management, King Richard goes through all of the little details that only competitive tennis players will recognize. I couldn't feel happier by seeing something as simple as a racquet stringing machine, wooden racquets, or even the questionable stylistic choices within the sport back then. Elements that aren't mentioned once in the film and that the regular moviegoer without knowledge about the sport won't care about.
From the practice exercises to the match rallies, tennis is beautifully captured by a sublime combination of great cinematography (Robert Elswit), seamless editing (Pamela Martin), and a subtle yet powerful score (Kris Bowers). King Richard also demonstrates how and why tennis is one of the most mentally demanding sports. It perfectly builds up to a climactic, shocking, purposefully frustrating match between Venus and Jennifer Capriati (Jessica Wacnik), where an apparently reasonable toilet break turns into an unsportsmanlike strategy that still generates much discourse today.
Nevertheless, don't let my passion for the sport mislead you into thinking this is a movie only for tennis fans… At its core, King Richard is about parenthood, family, self-belief, love, sacrifice, and much, much more. Tennis is the highlighted sport, but it could be any other sport. On the other hand, there's only one Richard. There's only one Venus. And there's only one Serena. Their background is crucial to the narrative. Originating from Compton, belonging to the Black community, trying to enter an elitist, mostly White sport… all of this is addressed throughout the runtime. Of all the films I've watched this year, this is the one that left me the most satisfied. I couldn't have asked anything more from it.
Final Thoughts
King Richard is not only one of my favorite movies of the year, but it's also one of the best biopics I've ever witnessed. The subject matter may speak more to me than to the average moviegoer due to my emotional connection to the sport, but it's the captivating story about a dedicated, loving father that ultimately grabs the viewers. Will Smith delivers one of the best performances of his career, as do Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton. The sport is exceptionally explored, taking the audience through the immense sacrifice a player needs to go through to become one of the very best. Technically, all filmmaking elements work together perfectly to demonstrate the physical and mental effort that tennis requires, dedicating a surprising amount of screentime to practices and matches. Nevertheless, the thematically rich screenplay surrounding family, self-belief, and parenthood takes the spotlight. I don't have a single bad comment to make about Reinaldo Marcus Green's film. Deserves all of the awards buzz it's inevitably going to receive. Don't you dare miss it!
