“King Richard” Is a Conflicted Caricature

The story of Venus and Serena’s rise to stardom had promise, but is told through the wrong eyes

King Richard, the first blockbuster from director Reinaldo Marcus Greene, is a conventional feel-good sports movie that chronicles the Williams sisters’ rise to tennis superstardom. It excels in art and technical categories, namely with its fantastic collection of early ‘90s fashion. The editing also notably highlights some of the stand-out performances in the movie, namely from supporting actor Aunjanue Ellis. Cinematographer Robert Elswit and production designer Wynn Arnold create a visual environment that feels grounded in history and reality but still carves out a space for the film to have its own signature and recognizable style. 

However, if you want to watch a movie about the rise of Venus and Serena Williams, then this will leave you disappointed and unsatisfied. It is told through the eyes of the Williams sisters’ father, emphasizing his coaching genius rather than their exceptional skill, and it treats their success as a foregone inevitability with blatant 4th-wall shattering foreshadowing. The Williams sisters' victories are best highlighted in the two-minute real footage montage at the end of the movie (set to a Beyoncé song), then they are in the entire narrative. 

Additionally, it’s hard to get emotionally invested in a story when you already know the outcome. Knowing that the Williams’ will eventually reach obscene amounts of fame dwarfs any threat in the narrative. This phenomenon could have been avoided by providing better side conflicts or more in-depth characters, but unfortunately, there is little antagonism for the viewer to get invested in. 

Will Smith attempts an empathetic and nuanced performance that’s worth a watch, but the final product doesn’t quite hit the mark in capturing the total complexities of Richard Williams and ultimately reads more like a caricature. The supporting performances are the real highlight in terms of acting, namely from Aunjanue Ellis, John Bernthal, and Saniyya Sidney, though they don’t consistently mesh together. 

The movie employs common tropes used in biopics about overcoming racism and prejudice to reach success and doesn’t explore any new territory, though its attempts to do so should not go unnoticed. Ultimately, the film succeeds in doing what it intends to do: be a family Oscar-bait crowd-pleaser, and that definitely shows in the screenplay and moral subtext (which states nearly nothing more than to work hard and believe in yourself).

OVERALL SCORE: 6/10

King Richard was released on November 19, 2021 and is currently in US theatres and streaming on HBO Max.