King Richard (2021)

[baumer]

What did you think?

[CoolioD1]

pretty good. hits all the standard sports drama beats but not quite as rousing as the great ones but it's always engaging and i didn't feel the long ass runtime. i can see why will smith is getting awards buzz for this maybe not my favourite performance from him but it is probably the first time i've felt he's really disappeared into a character like the thought that i was watching will smith didn't cross my mind at all. Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal and the young actress playing venus are all great too.

[grim22]

14 minutes ago, CoolioD1 said:

pretty good. hits all the standard sports drama beats but not quite as rousing as the great ones but it's always engaging and i didn't feel the long ass runtime. i can see why will smith is getting awards buzz for this maybe not my favourite performance from him but it is probably the first time i've felt he's really disappeared into a character like the thought that i was watching will smith didn't cross my mind at all. Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal and the young actress playing venus are all great too.

Agreed. The performances by everyone was great across the board. At the end when they showed the actual footage, it was easy to see how Will Smith took on the mannerisms of Richard Williams.

 

the movie really benefited from not making it a chronicle of the entire life of Richard, nor making it a chronicle of the careers of the Williams sisters. The choice to basically forgo the early training and the pro-tour success to just concentrate on what would normally be the second act of a sports biopic worked in its favor.

[Flopped]

A bit corny but I liked it. 

Can ya'll pls add a Spencer review thread? I want to tear into that bore. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Flopped

[Webslinger]

As much a film about family and ambition as it is an inspirational sports film, King Richard hits virtually all its crowd-pleasing beats so skillfully that it’s hard not to get swept up in what the film is selling. In its performances and its storytelling, it is a film that pulls off quite the neat trick in giving us something seemingly simple and easily digestible on the surface while packing compelling emotions and themes beneath it. At the center of the film is a new career-best performance from Will Smith. After years of mostly coasting on roles that called him to do little beyond flashing his effortless charisma, Smith immerses himself in the title role with a dynamic performance that zeroes in on Richard’s tics on a superficial level and his love, ego, hard-headedness, and determination on a deeper level. Smith’s magnetism is as powerful as it has ever been, though he also displays a strong awareness of when to double down on Richard’s emotions and when to pull back. Though Smith understandably compels the most attention of anyone onscreen, the supporting cast is also loaded with strong performances. The standout among the supporting cast is Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams, whose raw, natural connection to her character makes Venus’s emotional beats resonate in deeply powerful fashion. Jon Bernthal is also lots of fun to watch as Venus’s coach; after seeing him in so many rough, edgy roles, it is a delight to see Bernthal tap into heart and humor as effectively as he does here. There is also some moving work from Aunjuane Ellis as Brandy Williams, nailing the louder and quieter scenes the script affords her with equal precision. Sadly, despite its many crowd-pleasing qualities, King Richard has struggled to find much of a theatrical crowd in the midst of the industry’s continued COVID recovery and the simultaneous HBO Max launch. And that’s a real shame, for this film is exactly the kind of big, emotional, inspirational film that deserves to be experienced with a big community.

 

A-

[filmlover]

This was excellent. The "inspirational sports movie" genre has provided many notable efforts throughout its existence, and this deserves to stand among them by creating a vibrant picture that doesn't at all feel shopworn despite (perhaps inevitably) embracing some of the tropes of the genre. Will Smith has arguably never been better and would be deserving of an Oscar for this. In the wrong hands, Richard could've been portrayed as over-the-top and cruel, but Smith embodies him as a man devoted to doing nothing but the best for his daughters while toning down his natural charisma for a performance more intimate than what we're used to from him. He's backed an excellent supporting cast: the girls playing Venus and Serena are completely natural talents while Aunjanue Ellis and a playing-against-type Jon Bernthal would also be worthy of awards consideration. A total crowd-pleaser that will work for anyone, even those without the slightest bit of interest in tennis. A-

[CJohn]

Literal trash. A biopic like so many others you have seen before. Nothing here is remotely good. If you want good adult dramas please check Spencer or House of Gucci. 

[The Panda]

The main thing holding this movie back is they deliberately gloss over the truly controversial elements of Richard Williams’ life.
 

Things like deliberately choosing to move his family to Compton from Long Beach because he wanted his girls raised in a rough environment, throwing glass and beer bottles on back the court so the girls didn’t go to far back, hiding birth control pills from his second wife, his third wife being the same age as Venus, etc. The movie makes out his biggest flaws being an overly egotistical gambler who pretty much gets proven right with all of the gambles they show on screen.

 

I understand why, given the Williams sisters helped produce this movie and likely would want a mostly endearing light on their father. And the movie still succeeds at being a compelling and well performed, yet conventional, sports piece. 
 

B