THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
If you do enjoy sports, a part of you will respect the various athletes for going through trial and tribulation. Of all the athletes that I know of, the sisterly duo of Venus and Serena Williams have an empowering one and amazed everyone when they shared it in King Richard.
PLOT
The film starts in 1990s Compton, California. The sisters lived with their father Richard, mother Oracene aka Brandy, and older stepsisters (Tunde [Mikayla Lashae Barttholomev], Isha [Daniele Lawson] and Lyndrea [Layla Crawford]). Richard wrote a 78 page plan for them to succeed as tennis players and by the time they were kids, he would spend a majority of his time training them when not working as a security guard. By the time they reach their pre teen age, he is able to convince Paul Cohen (trainer of John McEnroe) to train Venus for free, except Serena, unwilling to train both for free. Although the other half is disappointed, she still chooses to train with Brandy and support her sister. After multiple training sessions, Cohen convinces Richard to let Venus play in the junior division. While Serena does well, Venus wins her first trophy during her early games. However, when she over celebrates with her sisters, Richard calls them out for acting cocky in his eyes. He teaches them a lesson by having them watch Cinderella to help them understand they should always be humble. After training Venus and Serena on a rainy night, they have a visit from representatives of Child Services who answer from a neighbor's complaint that he and Brandy are being too strict on their daughters. They leave when Richard calls them out for rather arresting strict parents than criminals. Some time after the Rodney King incident in '91, Richard meets sports agent George MacArthur (Dylan McDermott) and pro tennis player Laird Stabler (Andy Bean), who explain that Venus will make an impact to the tennis industry as a successful African athlete. George offers $100,000 a year, but he turns it down and ends his relationship with Cohen because he wants to assure his kids enjoy their lives and avoid coping with such pressure. This upsets Brandy because he chose to not discuss of his decision without telling her or their daughter. However, this also leads to meeting Rick Macci (former trainer of Jennifer Capriati) in 1994, who meets all of the demands: If Venus & Serena train at Florida with him, they family goes with them as well, in which everyone is taken care of with things such as housing and education. What Macci gets in return is 15% in future earnings. After the Williams family arrive to Florida through a mobile home, a new era of training begins. Richard does tell Rick that they have stopped playing for the Junior Division and wants the girls to go pro when he believes they're ready. The latter does make it clear that it will be difficult for them to get recognition without it. Venus does ask Rick to convince Richard to change his mind, but the possibility of a second thought disappears when discovering Capriati's arrest of misdemeanor marijuana possession. He then decides to pull his daughter out of the tournament, not wanting her to follow the same path. Brandy stands up and points out that he is making it more about himself and he should consider what their daughter wants. He does talk to her, makes clear that his past decisions were meant with best intentions and allows her to compete, but reminds her that she will make a big impact to the industry. Venus makes clear that she is prepared and won't let him down. Before continuing her streak, she turns down a $3 million contract from Nike, believing she is not ready yet. She succeeds in competing the Bank of the West Classic and prepares for her greatest competition at this point, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Richard apologizes to Serena for not pushing her the way he did with Venus, claiming that it's part of the plan and she'll still be a great player, if not better than her sister. On the night of the match, Venus does well and appears to outmatch Vicario, until one moment happens. When her opponent uses the bathroom, it becomes the advantage to tire her out, which works as she beats her by the end of the game. Venus feels disappointed of how it turned out, knowing that she was close. However, her parents cheer her up and let her know that they're still proud of everything she had done to make it to that point. Her spirit is lifted even more when seeing all of her fans outside the arena. The film ends with an epilogue revealing the success she and her sister have earned since: Venus signed a $12 million contract with Reebok nine months after the match with Vicario and won Wimbledon five times, being the first African American woman to be ranked number one in the world. Serena joined her on tour two years later and would become a 23 time Grand Slam Champion, now considered by many as the greatest player in the history of the sport.
THOUGHTS
With all due respect, I am not into the sport of tennis. Because of that, I knew that I would enter a whole new world beyond compare. Nevertheless, when checking this out on (HBO)Max, it's easy for me to admit that I ended up enjoying this one despite not understanding the rules of the iconic sport. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green was able to share an uplifting story that maintains a certain degree of craftsmanship. Whether or not you understand the sport, this one inspires me and viewers alike to follow the dream and not to be held back by whatever/whoever because they do not determine your worth. You're never gonna feel this way without a stellar cast to keep you onboard. Venus & Serena were both played excellently by breakouts Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton. They prove that these girls were the most passionate, hardworking players the industry could ever have, while also showing that success can come from anywhere. When hearing 'Be Alive' by Beyoncé as the credits roll, it reminds viewers that after everything they went through, they'll never forget the family that trained them to be the best. This movie will forever be remembered for Will Smith's mesmerizing Oscar winning performance as the titular character. This is someone who clearly loves his children more than anything in the world because I don't know any other parent that would write a 78 page plan like him. He chose to do that because he wanted to assure that they do fine when he's gone and refused to let them suffer like he did. However, he unintentionally grew an ego and tried to have it both ways. He demanded the same respect as his girls because he didn't have that at all in his childhood, living in an era where nothing but hate followed him. So in a way, he lives up to the movie's name because he wanted himself and his family to be treated like royalty. Luckily, he saw his flaw and stopped holding them back at the right time. For someone as stubborn as him, he's lucky to have someone by his side during this journey. Enter Brandy, who was well played by Aunjanue Ellis, who warns her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Throughout her time, she reminds him that parenting is a two person job as she helped raise their daughters to be the best version of themselves. In between all of that, she was the only one brave enough to call out Richard when necessary. If it wasn't for her, there is no telling if her daughters would be as successful as they are now. Last but not least, I think both Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal were on point in playing Paul Cohen and Rick Macci respectively, the two coaches that had to put up with Richard's attitude to make stars out of his kids. They both portrayed their characters as charming off the field, but determined figures inside because that is a known mindset tactic one can use to focus and succeed, which they arguably pass on. They may teach differently, but they all had the same goal which was building the best in the world. Overall, King Richard is a worthy Best Picture nominee for inspiring people to believe in themselves to accomplish wonders. If you love sports like tennis, check this out.
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