"The most strongest, the most powerful, the most dangerous creature on this whole earth is a woman who knows how to think. Ain't nothing she can't do."
King Richard takes a look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams. Though I may not be a big sports person or take time to learn the history of the Williams sisters, I did have this as one of my most anticipated movies for the rest of the year. And even though the trailers didn't make it out to look sensational, I knew it would be a crowd pleaser at the bare minimum. King Richard is quite the crowd pleaser, but it goes beyond that to craft quite the inspirational story. Rather than focus on the sisters, this focuses on who brought them to the tennis stars they are today. Will Smith is fantastic as Richard. It's to the point where you don't see him acting and instead a determined father. What I like is how they don't glorify Richard in every possible way. He could be quite extreme at times forcing the girls and the family as a whole to see and do things his way and not let them be themselves. His selfishness and ego can be frustrating at times. But moments come by that show a loving side and how much he really cares for everyone. Saniyya Sidney (Venus) and Demi Singleton (Serena) are great as well. The story may put Venus in the spotlight a little more than Serena, but each of them get their own moment to shine. Another scene stealer is Aunjanue Ellis as Richard's wife Brandy. Sometimes it feels like she's under utilized, but she has her moments as the voice of reason. The whole cast is really good and we for sure have two locks and a good chance at a win for acting awards at the Academy Awards.
The story is pretty formulaic in close to everything. The route it takes is one we've seen before, so it should be easy to see where things are going. Even some of the dialogue comes off in that way. There are times where I could really feel it and it dragged me out of the experience for a little bit. Somehow, though, it manages to make this familiar format exciting and captivating. The life brought into the story makes it memorable and a standout. I already mentioned the acting, but the script does bring out many good points and themes for the movie that need exploring and not just glossed over. In a crowd pleaser, it's typical to avert viewers from the problematic nature in characters and society to create this happy little world. Thankfully, we don't get that here. I'm glad for the risks it decides to take. As a whole, the movie is a little prolonged nearing almost two and a half hours. I could feel it drag on in the middle and some in the beginning. The last act really brings it together for an engaging experience. Maybe I don't like the execution of the final moments, but everything pretty much landed in a spot that worked nicely. It's a shame that this hasn't been performing well with audiences. Hardly anyone has gone out to see it. Even on HBOMax, the numbers are low. This could be because not many people know what it's about from just the title alone or haven't seen enough ads (I've seen many). I'm sure this would be a success to almost all who see it. In fact, I don't know I single person who watched it and didn't like it. King Richard is a feel good movie that you should watch. It may be a little too familiar at times, but it's one to remember this year.
King Richard takes a look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams. Though I may not be a big sports person or take time to learn the history of the Williams sisters, I did have this as one of my most anticipated movies for the rest of the year. And even though the trailers didn't make it out to look sensational, I knew it would be a crowd pleaser at the bare minimum. King Richard is quite the crowd pleaser, but it goes beyond that to craft quite the inspirational story. Rather than focus on the sisters, this focuses on who brought them to the tennis stars they are today. Will Smith is fantastic as Richard. It's to the point where you don't see him acting and instead a determined father. What I like is how they don't glorify Richard in every possible way. He could be quite extreme at times forcing the girls and the family as a whole to see and do things his way and not let them be themselves. His selfishness and ego can be frustrating at times. But moments come by that show a loving side and how much he really cares for everyone. Saniyya Sidney (Venus) and Demi Singleton (Serena) are great as well. The story may put Venus in the spotlight a little more than Serena, but each of them get their own moment to shine. Another scene stealer is Aunjanue Ellis as Richard's wife Brandy. Sometimes it feels like she's under utilized, but she has her moments as the voice of reason. The whole cast is really good and we for sure have two locks and a good chance at a win for acting awards at the Academy Awards.
The story is pretty formulaic in close to everything. The route it takes is one we've seen before, so it should be easy to see where things are going. Even some of the dialogue comes off in that way. There are times where I could really feel it and it dragged me out of the experience for a little bit. Somehow, though, it manages to make this familiar format exciting and captivating. The life brought into the story makes it memorable and a standout. I already mentioned the acting, but the script does bring out many good points and themes for the movie that need exploring and not just glossed over. In a crowd pleaser, it's typical to avert viewers from the problematic nature in characters and society to create this happy little world. Thankfully, we don't get that here. I'm glad for the risks it decides to take. As a whole, the movie is a little prolonged nearing almost two and a half hours. I could feel it drag on in the middle and some in the beginning. The last act really brings it together for an engaging experience. Maybe I don't like the execution of the final moments, but everything pretty much landed in a spot that worked nicely. It's a shame that this hasn't been performing well with audiences. Hardly anyone has gone out to see it. Even on HBOMax, the numbers are low. This could be because not many people know what it's about from just the title alone or haven't seen enough ads (I've seen many). I'm sure this would be a success to almost all who see it. In fact, I don't know I single person who watched it and didn't like it. King Richard is a feel good movie that you should watch. It may be a little too familiar at times, but it's one to remember this year.