Smith shines as father of Williams sisters
This word “unique” frequently is overused and used incorrectly, but Richard Williams — at least as portrayed in the new biographical sports drama debuting this week in theaters and on HBO Max — certainly is that.
Played with gusto by actorproducer Will Smith, Williams grooms two of his daughters, Venus and Serena, to become not just tennis pros but two of the best players the world has ever seen.
Of course, that is exactly what they become.
Not too bad for a Black man who in the highly entertaining film says that while growing up in Shreveport, La., he was too busy running from the Ku Klux Klan to pay any attention to tennis.
Some years later, while watching women compete professionally in the sport, he gets the idea to mold his two young pieces of clay into tennis stars, drafting a 78-page plan for the endeavor.
He teaches the game to Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) on neglected courts near the Compton, Calif., home he has with his wife, Oracene “Brandy” Williams (Aunjanue Ellis), and his daughters.
The neighborhood isn’t the safest place, as illustrated by the young men who roll up to the park and make it known to older daughter Tunde (Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew) that they find her very attractive. Williams objects to this behavior, of course, and takes a beating for his opinion on how the men should behave around his girls.
Beatings are nothing new to him.
“This world has no respect for Richard Williams — but they’re going to respect y’all,” he tells his daughters.
Part of his plan involves finding Venus and Serena a coach, which is a challenge because he needs to find one who will teach the girls for free to start. The selling point is a cut of all those winnings to come down the line.
It’s a tough pitch.
“Ever think about basketball?” one disinterested coach asks him.
As the movie progresses, find coaches he will, first in Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), who works with John Mcenroe and Pete Sampras, and later in Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal), who runs a prestigious tennis academy in Florida and pays for the family to relocate to the Sunshine State and to live near the training complex.
Throughout “King Richard,” the titular character will butt many a head, not just with coaches but with other folks including journalists. Williams’ wellknown interruption of one media member’s on-screen interview of Venus is re-created, for example. (This may be media bias speaking, but it’s hard to not sympathize with at least the movie version of the reporter.)
It is through that scene and others that the film hammers home that Williams believes he knows what’s best for his daughters and he doesn’t really care what other people think. Unfortunately for him, Brandy — who has been a dedicated partner in the endeavor, coaching Serena herself from video recordings after a coach takes only Venus under his wing — increasingly believes her feelings are as dispensible to Williams as everyone else’s.
As Brandy, Ellis (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” TV’S “Quantico”) is terrific in the scenes where she goes toe to toe with her stubborn husband.
Also memorable are Sidney (“Hidden Figures,” “Fences”) and Singleton (TV’S “Godfather of Harlem”). You become quite emotionally invested in Venus and Serena, respectively, even though you know things eventually will work out quite well for them in the world of pro tennis. If anything, “King Richard” leaves you wishing it were more about the astoundingly talented young women, who stumble occasionally but generally dominate on either side of the net.
This is, of course, Smith’s show, and the star of films including “Ali,” “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “Bad Boys for Life” is captivating. Thanks largely to his use of distinct mannerisms and unusual way of speaking, he almost disappears into this fictionalized version of Richard Williams.
Cheers are also due to littleknown screenwriter Zach Baylin — named one of Variety’s 2021
“10 Screenwriters to Watch” and also attached to write the screenplay for “Creed III” — and to director Reinaldo Marcus Green. “King Richard” flies by despite a relatively long runtime. It is a massive improvement from Green’s previous work, the similarly based-on-a-true-story drama “Joe Bell,” which arrived with a thud in the summer.
“King Richard” commits a fault here and there but largely serves up aces. Deep into the movie, when Venus is truly beginning her professional ascent, Williams has a brief conversation with Serena — who has existed largely in her older sister’s shadow — that is an incredibly touching moment of parenting.
Game, set and match to “King Richard.”