King Richard movie review: Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis shine in this tale of the making of the Williams sisters

The film, which got Will Smith an Oscar for Best Actor is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

A still from the film

King Richard

Story: In the late 80s, Richard Williams began training his daughters – Venus and Serena – to play tennis at the Compton Club. The goal was to make champions of both of them. But that was going to be easier said than done, because tennis is an expensive sport and getting the right coach is difficult, especially when you are looking for a free option. But Richard tirelessly pursued coaches to lend him an ear and see his daughters play, which, as we all know, paid off really well eventually.

Review: King Richard, the story of how Richard Williams tirelessly trained and groomed his daughters, Venus and Serena, to be among the best tennis players the world has ever seen, released in theatres in India, along with RRR, so, it was no wonder that it didn’t create a lot of buzz. To make matters worse, lead actor Will Smith’s slapgate took the sheen away from his Oscar win for playing Richard.

Available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video, King Richard is about how Richard Williams and his then wife Oracene ‘Brandy’ Price trained their daughters Venus and Serena with the single-minded focus of making champions out of them. The goal for the family was always clear, as was the path leading to it, which Richard reckoned could not come at the cost of Venus or Serena’s happiness or the likelihood of either of them burning out before their peak.

Much as he wanted his daughters to be champions, Richard was always clear that their education and well-being was paramount, so, after setting them off to a brilliant start in the junior level, he decides to pull his kids out of competition, until such time that he deemed they were ready to play at the professional stage. They had to enjoy being kids too; a plan he set in motion after getting Venus and Serena into Rick Macci’s academy and moving the entire family to Florida.

King Richard, according to Serena, is the most accurate account of her father’s life as her and Venus’ coach. A man who worked them hard, because he did not want to have them live a life of hardship as he had. It is also just as much about his parenting and instilling the importance of humility, no matter the level of success one achieves. The film is not a biography, but captures a significant chapter in Richard’s life, as he went from coaching his girls during the day, to working his job at night, to ensuring everyone took note of the fact that he had not one but two champions in the making. In fact, the film ends with Venus’ professional debut, which didn’t go too well for the then 14-year-old, but kicked off a journey that the world will remember forever.

Verdict: So, Will Smith got an Oscar for Best Actor playing Richard Williams, and truth be told, I wondered why, especially since Aunjanue Ellis was just as good as Brandy and was only nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Will, was, no doubt, brilliant as Richard, but did he knock it out of the park and deserve an Oscar? Well, that’s debatable, because the film itself feels a little over-rated for all the praise it got. The film is a one-time watch, at the most.

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Cast and Crew

Will Smith

Actor

Jon Bernthal

Rick Macci

Tony Goldwyn

Paul Cohen

Noah Bean

Steven

Susie Abromeit

Robin Finn

Hannah Barefoot

Mother

Judith Chapman

Nancy Reagan

Katrina Begin

Anne Worcester

Craig Tate

Roc

Jake Jensen

Pro Shop Attendant

Vaughn W. Hebron

Monsta

Jimmy Walker Jr.

Old Patron

Layla Crawford

Lyndrea Price

Daniele Lawson

Isha Price

Danya LaBelle

Tournament Official

Jeni Jones

Line Judge

Sean Berube

Tennis Coach

Carrie Gibson

Line Judge

Vivienne Bersin

Stacey

Christian Yeung

Vicario Match Line Judge

Rod Sweitzer

Pro Match News Reporter

John Dinan

Tennis Pro

Dylan McDermott

George Macarthur

Aunjanue Ellis

Brandi Williams

Erin Cummings

Social Worker

Andy Bean

Laird Stabler

Saniyya Sidney

Venus Williams

Demi Singleton

Serena Williams

Chet Grissom

Matthew Titone

Mel Fair

Male TV Announcer

Brandon Morales

Deputy Sheriff #2

Adam Cropper

Spectator

Jonathan Bray

ESPN Reporter

Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew

Tunde Price

Dan Sachoff

Florida TV Reporter

Mathew Trent Hunnicutt

Referee

Connie Ventress

Tennis Tournament Director

George Ketsios

Chair Umpire

Andy Hoff

Trevor

Trent Longo

Tennis Player

Chris Pentzell

Another Incredulous Pro

Michael Andrew Baker

Dad

Gabi Stewart

Tennis Pro

Kika Cicmanec

Elite Tennis Player

Sean Fabian Billings

Tennis Vendor

Kevin Dunn

Vic Braden

Johnno Wilson

Incredulous Pro

Christopher Wallinger

John McEnroe

Doug Simpson

Girl #3 Father

Kaitlyn Christian

Shaun Stafford

Tom Holmes

Girl #7 Father

Tom Degnan

Girl #8 Father

Gunner Wright

AP3

Luke Matheis

Tennis Fan

Aryn Nelson

Parent

Erika Ringor

Ms. Strickland

Brad Greenquist

Bud Collins

Erica Shaffer

Tournament Official

Robert Walker Jeffery

Reporter

Rich Sommer

Patrick Dougherty

Virginia Schneider

Woman in Crowd

Mary Pascoe

Rivera Country Club Waitress

Chris Wolfe

Pro Match TV Reporter

Tory N. Thompson

Venus Fan

Sophia Bui

Country Club Poolside Gal

Johnny Mansbach

Tennis VIP

Katie McCabe

Country Club Woman

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