Not quite the king of tennis movies
In 2021, Venus and Serena Williams will be celebrating their 40th anniversary as professional tennis players. The sisters have dominated the sport for over two decades, with 23 grand slam championships between them. With their success as the first African American tennis stars, there is no better time to release a biographical film about their remarkable careers. ..
Richard Williams is a powerful man and his daughters have accomplished a lot. However, it is important to remember that they are also human and should be treated with respect. This story shows how Richard’s dedication to equality and racism helped his daughters become successful.
The film opens with a prologue that sets the scene for the main conflict. Richard (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a young king who has to fight against an enemy force led by a powerful general (Michael Fassbender). The film then follows Richard as he goes through his life, starting with his coronation and becoming more involved in politics. There are also some flashbacks to Richard’s childhood, which add some depth to the story. The film ends with Richard facing off against the general, and the outcome is not clear.
Despite the slow start, Richard’s story is compelling and well-told. The performance from Will Smith is a strong addition, and the screenplay does a good job of balancing its two main themes. Despite some flaws, King Richard is an excellent film.
But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Richard’s plan may not be as perfect as he thought. Venus and Serena are falling out of love with each other. This sets off a chain of events that will change everything for the Williams family and their children.
Richard is a hard-working tennis coach who is not a lay-about himself. When he’s not coaching the kids, he’s busy working the night shift, hustling for new tennis coaches to take a leap of faith in training his two girls for free. As you can imagine, not many want to take that gamble.
It’s not that the film is bad, per se; it just doesn’t quite live up to its potential as a story about two people who fall in love and have a successful career.
There’s the subject of Serena herself, who’s all but forgotten about around the halfway point in favour of the spotlight shining on Venus. Without giving too much away, this is sort of explained near the end but given the emphasis on both girls early on, it seems an odd exclusion to just sideline her almost completely. The film actually seems to be building up a nice rivalry for the two, seeing the two sisters butt heads and stat to explore their relationship with one another, but it never pulls the trigger on that, which feels like a real missed opportunity.
The story is quite formulaic, but there are some nice inclusions here that deserve a mention. The music during the tennis matches – especially during the final tournament – is fantastic. Kris Bowers has done a great job composing this one and while most of the tracks just blend into the background as welcome ambient noise, these tennis matches are fantastic.
This is a great basketball experience that is complemented by smooth dolly movements across the court, getting up close to the action. This, mixed with TV camera shots that hang over the action, make for an enjoyable and engrossing watch.
The cast does a great job bringing their respective characters to life, and as a massive fan of Jon Bernthal myself, he brings the character of Rick Macci to life with personality and charisma. He more than holds his own against Will Smith, who’s ultimately the star of the show. ..
Richard Williams is a real person, and his speech patterns and mannerisms are on point. Smith’s portrayal is pretty damn good.
While “The Shape of Water” tackles a number of serious issues, it also has several well-placed jokes. One early dark bit of humor comes completely unexpectedly, when Richard chirps enthusiastically, “Say hey to all those who gone, girls!” The movie also has several well-done scenes that are humorous, such as when the main character, Elisa (Sally Hawkins), tries to teach her fish new tricks. ..
Richard is a likeable and conflicting character, with Will Smith’s charismatic performance being the film’s biggest weakness. ..
Will Smith is great in his role, but the rest of the movie just doesn’t quite hold up. The Williams sisters never quite get a chance to shine, and the screenplay falls squarely into the middle of other sport biopics. There’s just not enough here for this to stand out.
Despite its lengthy run-time, by the end you almost feel like you’re ready for round 2. The film never tackles the Williams’ later career, nor does it do enough to let Serena share the spotlight with her sister. The film isn’t bad, and it’s certainly enjoyable, but it’s also not quite the Borg VS McEnroe classic that graced the big-screen in 2018.
King Richard, the Lionheart, releases in cinemas worldwide on November 19th. The film stars Tom Hiddleston as the king and is directed by Peter Jackson.
