As a person who watches Tennis virtually every week and has done for the past 15 years or so, the story of the Williams sisters as well as their father Richard is one I know fairly well.
I've seen enough of their numerous documentaries to feel that there's nothing else I need to know.
So with a film coming out about those three, I was intrigued to see what direction it would go. I was also unsure how I may approach this film. I was therefore a bit nervous I would put my nose up to it as it may not give me anything new.
I was actually quite surprised in the end at how they made a familiar story for followers of the sport still be very engaging and refreshing.
From a film perspective, I liked how it went for the 'Rocky' route of story-telling as its the type of story we don't often see in Sports films and I felt it fitted well with the people and events it was focusing on.
As a Tennis fan, I thought it was pretty strong in its accuracy and how they used other moments in Tennis at the time to enhance the main plot. I also liked how much they covered the Williams family and how strong they are as a unit and how important that was to their success.
I was honestly never a big fan of the Williams sisters. But I always appreciated and respected them and seeing this film further proves why they should be.
This was mainly thanks to the performances. They were all amazingly on point. It really was like seeing the actual people.
The star is of course Will Smith, who perfectly transforms into the infamous Richard Williams. From the voice, to the mannerisms, to the peculiar actions we've seen in archive footage. It was the perfect portrayal of the man himself. I was astonished at how well Smith did with his role. I didn't think I would ever see Richard Williams portrayed on the big screen. But I totally believed I was seeing him.
I also have to give props to Saniyya Sidney and Dem Singleton, who like Smith portrayed their characters perfectly. The hard work of even playing like Venus and Serena Williams was noticeable to this Tennis fan and I was expecting to see that.
Jon Bernthal was a surprising stand out as a support. Like the performances, it felt very believable With it being a role that would not see Bernthal play, this made it a more impressive showing.
From a technical perspective, the production and costume design was on point also. They matched the archive footage as well as the time period perfectly. So props to everyone involved that helped with the authenticity of this story. It will certainly please my fellow Tennis fans.
I was surprised at the duration being close to 2hrs 30mins. Thankfully, the length was never noticeable and the pacing was pretty smooth. Even if I tried to trim this film down, I would struggle to know what I would cut.
Films where I know the story inside out before seeing it is always tough to rate. But knowing where it was going, I was pleasantly surprise at how this turned out. People that don't know this story will most likely rate this higher than I will and that gives me great confidence in how general audiences will view this.
I have to give props to director Reinaldo Marcus Green and his team for giving us an entertaining and engaging piece of work that I hope gets an audience. The performances are great, Will Smith could possibly be an awards contender, and the entire look of the film was faultless.
There are not many Tennis films out there. But this could well be the best one in all aspects. That is if you don't count Strangers On A Train.
If you're going into this film expecting it to be about the Williams sisters, there is a reason why the film is called 'King Richard'. If you already know their story, you know exactly why their dad Richard is the main character in this story.
Rating: 7/10
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