KING RICHARD : Tuesday 1st February 2022.

I finally got around to seeing the M Rated 'KING RICHARD' at my local multiplex this week. This American biographical drama film is Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green whose feature film debut came with 'Monsters and Men' with John David Washington in 2018 which he followed up in 2020 with 'Joe Bell' with Mark Wahlberg. The film was originally scheduled for release in late November 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ultimately premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in early September last year and was released in mid-November 2021 Stateside in cinemas and on HBO Max, and here in Australia on the 13th January. Having garnered largely critical acclaim, this has failed to materialise into Box Office receipts, having taken so far US$33M off the back of a production budget of US$50M. 'King Richard' has so far picked up twenty-nine award wins and a further 126 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, with many of those nods still pending a final outcome. 

Based on the true story, this film follows the journey of Richard Williams (Will Smith, who also Co-Produces here) living in Compton, California with his wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis), three step-daughters Tunde, Isha and Lyndrea, and his two daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). Richard has had a dream to nurture his two daughters into champion tennis players, and in fact has a written down 76 page plan charting their journey since before they were born. Richard and Brandy themselves coach Venus and Serena every day whilst keeping them grounded with their education, social interactions and family life. Richard works as a security guard at night, while Brandy works as a nurse during the day time. Richard is relentless in his pursuit of a professional coach for his two girls to the point where he creates his own brochures and promotional videotapes to advertise their tennis abilities, all to no avail.

Then one day, Richard takes the girls to an exclusive tennis club to see coach Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), who is practicing at the time with John McEnroe (Christopher Wallinger) and Pete Sampras (Chase Del Rey). Despite his initial reluctance, he agrees to watch the girls practice after McEnroe leaves the court and Sampras says its OK. After hitting some balls, Cohen is suitably impressed. However, Richard and Brandy cannot afford professional coaching, and Cohen refuses to coach both girls for free. 

He chooses Venus to receive his coaching, while Serena continues practicing with Brandy. Cohen encourages Venus to participate in juniors tournaments, as the natural progression to recognition, becoming a pro, and ultimate success. Venus quickly finds success, but Richard stresses to Venus and her sisters to remain humble in spite of their success. At one of Venus’s tournaments, and unknown to Richard Serena also signs up to play, with Venus winning the gold trophy and Serena silver. As both girls continue to succeed, the family are treated as outsiders among the mostly white, upper-class competition. Richard meets with high-profile agents Will Hodges (Dylan McDermott) and Laird Stabler (Andy Bean), but, fearing that his daughters will be taken advantage of, pulls them out of the junior competition circuit entirely. Cohen warns him that his decision will destroy the girls’ chances to turn professional, but Richard stands firm, firing Cohen as coach.

Coach Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) travels to Compton to watch the girls play at their local rundown municipal tennis courts. Impressed, he agrees to take on the girls, with Richard producing his own contract for Macci to sign with a full set of demands including a mobile home for them to make the journey from California to Florida where Macci's tennis training camp is located, plus a fully furnished family home, plus education for their four daughters (Tunde has recently graduated from high school as is staying in California to attend College). 

Then one day, Richard surprises Macci by reiterating that the girls will not play junior competitions, instead training and attending school like normal children. Over the next three years, questions arise from the media and from Macci about Richard’s strategy with the girls, and his seemingly insatiable appetite for media coverage. Venus tells Macci that she wants to turn pro, and asks him to speak with her father on her behalf. Richard reluctantly agrees, but later goes against his word, worrying that she will suffer a similar fate to Macci's star pupil Jennifer Capriati, who is allegedly suffering from burnout and has been arrested for marijuana possession in 1994 at the age of eighteen. The decision strains Richard’s relationships with Venus, Brandy, and Macci. 

After an argument with Brandy, he reconciles with Venus, agreeing to let her play in the upcoming Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California. Before the tournament, the family meets with a Nike executive, who offers them a major sponsorship deal worth US$3M. Macci urges them to accept, but Richard turns to Venus and says that the decision rests with her. She declines and Richard and Brandy agree, leaving Macci mortified by their decision (for his is on a 15% fee based on future earnings). Richard is of the firm belief that once Venus begins to play and the world sees what she is capable of, she will attract more worthwhile offers.

Venus struggles at first in her debut match as a professional against Shaun Stafford (Kaitlyn Christian), but eventually she wins the match. In her next match against top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Marcela Zacarias) she is considered very much the underdog, but against the odds Venus takes the first set and leads in the second before Vicario takes an extended bathroom break for nine minutes, placing a strain on  Venus that sees her lose her concentration and rhythm, so much so that Vicario recovers to win the second set and the match. 

Richard and Brandy comfort a dejected Venus in the changing room, telling her to be proud of what she has achieved. As the family exits the now empty stadium, a large crowd of supporters is waiting to cheer her on and get her autograph. Waiting outside Macci tells Richard that Nike have upped their offer to US$4M and that several other major shoe companies are keen to meet with Venus.

As the closing credits roll, we are told that some nine months later, at the age of fifteen Venus signed a contract with Reebok for US$12M, and that she would go on to win Wimbledon five times and become the first African American woman to be ranked tennis number one in the world. Serena, who joined Venus as a professional two years later, would become a 23-time Grand Slam champion and considered perhaps the greatest player in tennis history . . . just as Richard had predicted.

'King Richard' is a very entertaining and insightful film, and this is Will Smith's film make no mistake. He inhibits the character of Richard Williams that is about as far removed from his 'Bad Boys' character as you could probably get, with all the little nuances, expressions and ever so slight lisp that see him pronounce words like 'ask' as 'aks'. For all his dogged determination and unconventional stubbornness to keep the girls grounded and humble, he is at the core a loving, caring, just want what's best for my girls type of father following his plan for their future success in life and on the tennis court. As for the performances of Ellis, Sidney and Singleton these too are standouts, and like Smith's are sure to garner due recognition from around the awards and festivals circuit in the lead up to the 94th Oscars at the end of March. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green has here crafted an emotional, intelligent, crowd pleasing family sports drama that even for the naysayers of tennis, are sure to find this an engaging and interesting watch. At a run time of just shy of two-and-a-half hours this is a little over extended, but it never leaves you wanting. Both Venus and Serena Williams serve as Executive Producers here.

'King Richard' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-