Film review: King Richard (12A)

I’d suggest that you’d need to have been living under a rock for much of the past 25 years if you’ve never heard of sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

Two of the top female tennis players of all-time, they dominated the sport for the best part of 20 years and took the ladies’ game to new levels on and off the court.

But how did two poor black girls from Compton conquer a sport that has long been dominated by those in privileged financial positions?

King Richard shines a light on their journey by focusing on their controversial father Richard Williams (Will Smith), with both Venus and Serena serving as executive producers and Reinaldo Marcus Green directing.

Your first thought may be that it’s a little odd for the film to centre on Richard, rather than Venus and Serena.

But King Richard soon makes it clear that this was a highly-motivated father who, despite his many faults, was a man who put all of his energy into turning his daughters into the superstars we know them to be.

In truth, it’s one of the surprise hits of the year for me and the story behind their rise to global stardom is both uplifting and interesting in equal measure.

The key to any film where you pretty much know how the story ends is to give you plenty of nuggets that will surprise you throughout.

King Richard delivered that for me, given my lack of knowledge of the Williams family beyond their tennis careers.

We see how Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) train daily on sub-standard courts, while gangsters watch on and try to chat up one of their three other sisters.

The girls also watch on as their dad is attacked by the thugs on a regular basis, while he’s also trying to work nightshifts to keep food on the table.

Seeing how hard he and wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis) had to work to keep the girls off the streets is quite inspiring, while witnessing the five sisters share one tiny room with only four beds (Venus and Serena shared a single bed) hammers home how difficult things must have been for them all.

Despite that, King Richard is never short of optimism.

You sense the Williams girls were happy growing up and, when doors slowly begin opening for them, you will share in that joy.

The tennis element of the film is very enjoyable too, with the likes of John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Jennifer Capriati and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario brought to life very well.

Likewise, top coaches Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) and Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) are portrayed very positively and play strong roles in the 2.24hrs film.

As this is Richard’s story, it’s only fitting that Smith is something of a tour de force throughout in what is one of his more memorable recent roles.

He manages to make you root for a man who, perhaps, hasn’t always come across that well over the years.

But he’s also stubborn enough to make you angry at him too, especially when holding Venus back from competition.

It’s a strange way to feel, given we as an audience know her career couldn’t really have panned out much better.

Sidney gets more screen time than Singleton does as, but there are nice nods to Serena’s expected success – given that we know she becomes the most decorated tennis player of all-time.

Overall, there’s absolutely no reason not to see King Richard at the cinema. It’s a feel-good story that will make you see the sisters – and their dad – in a new and positive light.

Voice Verdict: 9/10 (reviewed at Boston Savoy)
+ Smith is on his best form in leading role
+ Enjoyable, uplifting story
+ Tennis action is done well
+ Williams family positivity shines through

SHOWTIMES
Boston Savoy (Fri, Dec 3 to Thurs, Dec 9)

HOUSE OF GUCCI (15)
11.30am (Wed), 8pm (Fri/Mon/Tues/Wed), 8.10pm (Sat/Sun)

ENCANTO (PG)
10am (Sat/Sun), 12.30pm (Sat/Sun), 3pm (Sat/Sun), 5.30pm (daily)

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (12A)
Noon (Sat), 2.45pm (Sat/Sun), 5.30pm (daily), 8.30pm (Sat/Tues), 8.45pm (Sun)

ELF (PG)
3pm (Wed), 4pm (Thurs), 5.40pm (Tues), 5.45pm (Fri)

DZIEWCZYNY Z DUBAJU (18)
8.15pm (daily)

LOVE ACTUALLY (15)
8.30pm (Fri)

A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS (PG)
11am (Sat), 12.30pm (Sun), 1pm (Sat)

ANYTHING GOES – THE MUSICAL (12A)
6pm (Sun), 7pm (Wed)

ROH THE NUTCRACKER 2021-22 SEASON (12A)
7.15pm (Thur)

KIDS’ CLUB

ELF (PG)
10.15am (Sat/Sun)

SUBTITLED PERFORMANCE

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (12A)
8.30pm (Mon)

SUPPORTIVE SHOWING ELF (PG)
10am (Sun)

PARENT AND BABY ENCANTO (PG)
11am (Wed)