KING RICHARD
I stumbled upon some tickets to an early screening of Will Smith’s new film, King Richard; just added movie critic to my repertoire. The film is a bio-pic on Richard Williams, the father of tennis mega stars Venus and Serena Williams. Let me start by saying this is a must see. Will Smith delivered a convincing performance. We all know this isn’t Will’s first rodeo in the bio-pic arena (Ali, Pursuit of Happyness) and he didn’t disappoint. He channeled all his bio-pic powers to deliver a human and relatable Richard Williams, right down to the walk, quirks and mannerisms.
I was pleased Mr. Williams was depicted as more than a cantankerous, overbearing, self-serving, opportunistic parent living vicariously through his daughters. Instead we got to see a complex human, a father, a provider, and protector in King Richard. Maybe I saw all of this because of my personal experience. My father taught my twin sister and I how to play tennis as well. We played competitively for many years as well. We were nowhere as talented as Serena or Venus, that kind of talent is God-sent.
KING RICHARD Reviews
Their story parallels my own experience in so many ways. We share the same faith, we grew up in some of the roughest areas of the country and we played a game most people deemed a “white person’s sport”. Little black girls playing tennis in Compton or Bedstuy Brooklyn wasn’t as normal as it is today. Black tennis stars were few and far between. Yes we had Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe but that’s more or less where the buck stopped. You had to be a real visionary to see yourself excelling in a sport where no one looked like you.
If Richard Williams was nothing else he was a visionary. In real life we know he was a hot mess express, a visionary but a hot mess just the same. The film details the families struggles with life in the hood and it doesn’t get any more hood than Compton, LA in the 80s/90s. Gang violence was at an all-time high, crack-cocaine ravaged black and brown communities, and police brutality was the order of the day. Making sure all 5 of your daughters made it out unscathed was a tall order for any man. Mr. Williams rose to the occasion, he had a plan. He was the only one who was aware of the plan at times but he had one.
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