King Richard 

Release date: Nov. 19, 2021

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green

Starring Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, John Bernthal, and Saniyya Sidney

Currently available to rent or buy on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime

Before I saw the film, all I knew of Richard Williams was the character the media portrayed him to be: fanatical, egotistical, and abusive. The story told here, which was approved by Venus and Serena, showed evidence of the former two traits but none of the last. On the contrary, the Richard we see is a loving and devoted father, doing his best to raise five healthy, successful daughters.

I haven’t done any research to determine the veracity of this portrayal. If it’s good enough for Serena and Venus, it’s good enough for me. What’s impressive is the enormous drive Williams showed in overcoming the obstacles that stood in his (and his daughters’) way.

What I Liked About King Richard 

* The acting. Will Smith above all, but a great performance by Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene Williams, and Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena. I also liked Jon Berthal as Rick Macci. And Tony Goldwyn as Paul Cohen. Heck, the entire cast was very good.

* The treatment of racism. Kudos to everyone involved for resisting the cheap, anti-White-Man cliches. The scenes where racism came into play were mostly played out in Richard’s mind. The actual mean stuff is Black-on-Black.

* It’s a feel-good movie, pure and simple.

Critical Reception 

* “This is a dream role for Will Smith and he attacks it with gusto. Williams is a larger-than-life-character who just happens to be real, and Smith embodies his underdog, combative, indefatigable spirit to perfection.” (Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine)

* “It is one of those crowd-pleasing movies that doesn’t make you feel embarrassed to be part of the crowd – you feel buoyed rather than talked down to.” (Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine)

* “There is a tension between the film King Richard wants to be and the film it actually is. The film it wants to be is a tribute to a boot-strapping sports dad who had a plan for his daughters and executed it…. The film it actually is casts Richard in a less flattering light than the filmmakers seem to intend.” (Scott Tobias, The New York Times)

* “The movie’s brightest burning idea, and it is sincerely moving, is that Richard, for all his flaws, does what he does on behalf of the young Black women he’s raising. This rings true in real life and fiction.” (K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone)

You can watch the trailer here.