King Richard is a biographical drama directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zack Beilin. The protagonist of the movie is Richard Williams, the father and coach of the famous tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, who wrote the pages of the history of this sport. The film premiered at the Telluride Festival in Colorado in early September, to arrive a few days ago on the cinema repertoires and streaming servers of HBO Max.
King Richard plot
The story follows an interesting and unique journey of a family that overcame all obstacles and, with the help of unwavering determination and unconditional faith, gave birth to two tennis legends. Richard Williams (Will Smith) had a clear vision, a written plan and an uncompromising commitment to make his daughters top tennis players who will, above all, be educated children and a role model for everyone. Williams grew up in Compton, surrounded by drugs and violence, and used neglected tennis courts for their daily work. We follow the ascent of Venus Williams, while her younger sister Serena is waiting her turn.
Contrary to my expectations that this will be a film about the success of tennis players, this story is told from the perspective of Richard himself. At first glance, given that he had strenuous systems to train his daughters and apparently controlled every segment of their lives, Richard could also pass as an antagonist – a stubborn egoist who often gives the impression that he doesn’t care too much about his daughters, wife or other coaches. they want him or a girl who will soon become a star. We as viewers believe in Richard’s sincerity and support, but it’s hard to say that he didn’t care about his own interests either.
However, since his plan was realized and he made sports legends out of his daughters, Richard became a hero and his flaws can be interpreted as virtues – his stubbornness can be understood as misunderstanding, while his arrogance becomes a trait of a man who is above all others. he knew the value of his daughters and believed in them. Here and there, the movie emphasizes some of his flaws or sends him some criticism, but the emphasis is on the results of his work, which are really impressive.
The fact is, and the screenwriter is aware that, at the basic level of storytelling, Richard simply cannot exist on his own, he needs Venus and Serena for his story to be important. The primary focus of the story is on his hard work, perseverance, but most of the film is about training girls and their career advancement. Also, Richard insisted that the girls be children instead of being stressed at junior tournaments, but we rarely see the two of them in some activities outside the house or on the tennis court, even though the film lasts almost 150 minutes.
What is unquestionable is that Richard is a loving father, so much so that we wonder if the amount of his support can be counterproductive. Williams overcame gangs in the neighborhood, the skepticism of professional coaches and all those people who rolled their eyes at the presence of a black family at tennis tournaments. Will Smith has discarded his characteristic charm and does not shy away from presenting us with the shortcomings of his character, thus giving us a sense of authenticity beneath Richard’s firm, unwavering exterior.
King Richard is an inspiring biographical drama full of optimism and perseverance that celebrates the man who led his daughters to write the pages of tennis history – a feel-good film whose biggest flaw is that Venus and Serena are much more interesting material for the film than their father. Final rating: 7/10
King Richard cast and characters
- Will Smith as Richard Williams
- Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene “Brandy” Price
- Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams
- Demi Singleton as Serena Williams
- Tony Goldwyn as Paul Cohen
- Jon Bernthal as Rick Macci
- Dylan McDermott as Will Hodges
- Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew as Tunde Price
- Danielle Lawson as Isha Price
- Layla Crawford as Lyndrea Price
- Andy Bean as Laird Stabler
- Kevin Dunn as Vic Braden
- Craig Tate as Bells
- Vaughn W. Hebron as Monsta[4]
- Jessica Wacnik as Jennifer Capriati
source: WIKI