REVIEW #114 King Richard (2021)

King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green follows Richard Williams as he raises his children Serena and Venus on a strict 78 page plan. The plans has one purpose, to make them the best tennis players the world has ever seen. Battling poverty, racism and adversity we see what it took for Serena and Venus to cement their legacy in the sport.

CAST & THE ACTING 

Will Smith leads the cast as Richard Williams and he delivers one of his best performances to date. He transforms into his character, taking on his characteristics and speech as though he really was Richard Williams himself. He was able to make the audience feel every kind of emotion at some point in the film, he even switched between the role of the good guy and the bad guy which made the character more relatable and created a realistic depiction of what he was really like. Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney played Serena and Venus respectively and they also did really well. The chemistry between the entire cast was one of the best elements of the film, they created a genuine family connection that hooked me on the characters. Jon Berthnal continues to impress as he steps outside of his usual ‘tough guy’ castings to play tennis coach Rick Macci and he was perfect for the role. So King Richard performed really strongly in this category, with not much to fault at all. 

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

I must admit the only reason I went to watch the film is because I anticipated that it would be one hell of a performance from Will Smith. Im not a fan of tennis and although I can appreciate Serena and Venus’ achievements I don’t follow them too much either. That being said despite that, I loved the film. The plot was gripping and I was so impressed by Richard Williams story, to be able to perfectly plan out both of his children’s careers and not just any career but to be the best Tennis stars the world has ever seen, it’s extraordinary. The film also touches upon the adversity that he and the family had to face in pursuit of their dream, such as racism and poverty. Not only was tennis a rich persons game, it was also a mainly all white sport, so the story of how two young black girls took over just had to be told. The pacing of the film was great because there were never any moments I felt bored, I was just genuinely in awe of their journey. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

The cinematography wasn’t the main focus of the film, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t good, it’s just the storyline and the characters were the vocal point. The costume design and the props/vehicles really set the scene of the 90’s and at times it seemed like there was certain camera filters used to give a vintage look to the shot, which added authenticity. There was also some really nice transitions used, one in particular was when Venus threw her first serve under Rick Macci and she threw the ball up and as it come down it blended into the next shot, which was set 3 years later. There was a nice selection of songs used for the soundtrack, something I have come to really appreciate lately because the right song can really elevate a scene. 

OVERALL (9/10)

It’s hard to actually think of anything that’s wrong with King Richard, I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. Will Smith delivers an award winning performance and the chemistry between the cast really showed the Williams family in such a positive light. I did think I’d lose interest with the storyline because I’m not a tennis fan at all but it was so engaging, I was hooked on the story of Richard Williams and I’m so impressed and actually disappointed that I wasn’t aware of Serena and Venus’s journey before watching the film. There was some nice cinematography used and the film was really well made. I would definitely recommend going to watch this, I think it’s a film that’s gone so under the radar for mainstream audiences but it’s so worth the watch.

Thanks for reading.

Callan