Sizwe Sibiya REVIEWS King Richard
Will Smith leads a talented cast as the father and tennis coach of the game’s most iconic sisters, Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.
The film, which premiered on HBO Max on 19 September, surrounds the politician-like life of Richard Williams II.
The narrative – and Venus and Serena’s coaching – begins before the pair were even born, as Richard proclaims that they will be stars of the game before they were even a twinkle in his eye.
This alone provides an insight into the commanding and resilient figure of Richard, and Smith’s performance matches this explosive character every step of the way.
Passion and intensity oozes out of the legendary actor, and he is well matched by Aunjanue Ellis, who plays the father’s second wife Oracene Price as the two prepare Venus and Serena for life in tennis.
Will delivers a transformative performance which makes the viewer forget they are watching the same man who played Agent J in Men in Black. He fits right and left into the shoes of coach Richard, and that is how acting should feel to the viewer.
Will, who is also one of the film’s executive producers, went the extra mile by growing his own gray beard to look like the younger Richard Williams II in the early 1990s. He is almost unhinged by the passion and hunger he has for his daughters’ success.
“He predicted it two years before they were born,” said Smith, talking about Richard on Entertainment Tonight.
“He had to learn tennis himself, He and Oracene learned how to play tennis and they learned how to teach it to their kids,” said Will, adding that he was amazed by the Williams family story.
When was the last time you watched a movie and got lost in it and felt like you were part of the family or a character in the movie?
For every blow they receive, you cry along with them, for every leadup to a big moment, you get excited with them and with every win you also celebrate.That’s how the writer Zach Baylin, who claims to have been raised by a similar father, structured the movie. He did not want it to be just any biopic, but to turn Richard’s lifelong resilience into two hours and thirty minutes of pure entertainment.
Meanwhile, Venus and Serena (played by Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton respectively) also have a documentary called Venus and Serena, recorded by filmmakers Maiken Baird and Michelle Major, which was released in May 2013.
Image source: @CinemaTweets1
