king richard family movie review

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King richard.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 8 Reviews
• Kids Say 20 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Winning biopic of tennis stars' dad has language, violence.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that King Richard is a moving, entertaining sports biopic about Richard Williams (Will Smith), the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. Dialogue includes swearing ("s--t," "hell," and "ass"), as well as slurs like "nigga." There are also scenes of gang violence and racial…

Why Age 13+?

Punching, pistol-whipping, gun violence (including minor character getting shot

Language includes "f--k," "ass," "crap," "damn," "screw you," "bulls--t," and "h

Mentions of Nike, Reebok, Puma, and Fila as those companies try to get Venus Wil

A background character is seen drinking from a brown paper bag, implying the con

Any Positive Content?

Making history means being brave and bold, using tons of perseverance. It takes

The Williams family -- particularly Richard, Venus, and Serena -- show courage i

Cast is largely Black, and comes together to successfully offer a positive repre

Violence & Scariness

Punching, pistol-whipping, gun violence (including minor character getting shot and killed on-screen), mention of sexual abuse (threat of Tunde being raped), police brutality (including footage of police beating Rodney King), descriptions of racism and racist violence (including mentions of Ku Klux Klan and people being punched and tortured during Jim Crow).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "f--k," "ass," "crap," "damn," "screw you," "bulls--t," and "hell." Also slurs like "nigga," "bitch nigga," and "cracker," plus words that could be considered ableist, such as "stupid" and "nuts." One use each of "G-damn" and "oh God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Mentions of Nike, Reebok, Puma, and Fila as those companies try to get Venus Williams to sign lucrative deals with them.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A background character is seen drinking from a brown paper bag, implying the contents of the bag is alcohol. It's mentioned that another rising tennis star is arrested after being found with pot in her hotel room. Richard tells Venus he does not want her to follow a similar path.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Making history means being brave and bold, using tons of perseverance. It takes talent and skill to win at something, but a true winner is also humble and grateful for success.

Positive Role Models

The Williams family -- particularly Richard, Venus, and Serena -- show courage in changing the White, affluent world of tennis. Richard demonstrates perseverance and courage in envisioning and pursuing better lives for his children. Even though Richard initially tries to teach his children gratitude and humility in an insensitive way, he does make sure they know the importance of showing those character strengths as they succeed in life.

Diverse Representations

Cast is largely Black, and comes together to successfully offer a positive representation of a Black family. There have been some colorism-related critiques of producer/star Will Smith casting himself as Richard despite being much lighter-skinned than the real man. (Though he does do a great job portraying Richard's bombastic nature.) Features many strong female characters, especially the Williams daughters and Richard's wife, Oracene. But aside from Venus, Serena, and occasionally Tunde, the other Williams girls don't have many, if any, lines.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Parents need to know that King Richard is a moving, entertaining sports biopic about Richard Williams ( Will Smith ), the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. Dialogue includes swearing ("s--t," "hell," and "ass"), as well as slurs like "nigga." There are also scenes of gang violence and racial violence, and a minor character is shot and killed on-screen. Brands such as Nike, Puma, Reebok, and Fila are mentioned. With themes of perseverance, courage, gratitude, and humility, the film successfully offers a positive representation of a Black family and focuses on Richard's attempts to be a better father than the one he had growing up. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (8)
• Kids say (20)

Based on 8 parent reviews

Positive true story, a little bit of violence scared my almost 10yo

Amazing movie * spoiler alert*, what's the story.

KING RICHARD tells the true story of Richard Williams ( Will Smith ), the father of tennis stars Venus ( Saniyya Sidney ) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton), and how he prepared them for superstardom. The film focuses largely on Richard's past as a boy growing up in Jim Crow-era Louisiana and shows how his past shaped the way he parented his children toward greatness.

Is It Any Good?

This moving, entertaining drama might be Smith's best acting yet; he mostly loses himself in the role of Richard Williams. While it doesn't make complete sense for Smith -- who looks nothing like Richard and doesn't even have the same skin tone -- to play Venus and Serena Williams' father, he captures Richard's essence as a strong-willed man who's ready to move heaven and earth to make his daughters' lives better than his. It's one of the rare moments in Smith's career in which viewers are more likely to see Smith's character and performance before they see Smith the actor. Yes, there are a few times in King Richard when Smith slips in his portrayal of Richard's Louisiana accent, but they're brief and early enough in the film to forgive. Smith's commitment to the role shines through, and his earnestness to give Richard his flowers as a father and visionary happily color the performance.

Equally as powerful -- if not more so -- is Aunjanue Ellis as Richard's wife, Oracene. She commands the screen with her nuanced, realistic performance of a long-suffering Black wife and mother who shared her husband's dream despite her issues with his process. She also brilliantly conveys how those misgivings sowed the seeds for the Williamses' eventual divorce. Even through her irritation and frustration, Oracene shows the love she has for Richard. Sidney and Singleton are also commendable as young Venus and Serena. Both actresses had to learn to play tennis at a level convincing enough to be believable, and their commitment comes through as they score aces that look exactly like the real thing. They also portray the balance between childlike excitement and exuberant confidence that the real-life Williams sisters have for the game, as well as their close bond. Overall, King Richard is a fantastic film for sports fans, tennis lovers, and fans of the Williams family.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Richard Williams. How did he prepare his children for life? What were some of the good things he did? Where did he fall short? How did his teachings help Venus and Serena succeed in tennis? How would you describe his legacy?

How accurate do you think King Richard is to the story it's based on? Why might filmmakers choose to tweak the facts of a biopic?

How did Venus and Serena inspire Black girls and children of all backgrounds?

How do the characters demonstrate perseverance and courage ? Why are those important character strengths ?

How would you describe the relationship between Richard and Oracene? How do they work as a team? Where do they differ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 19, 2021
• On DVD or streaming : February 8, 2022
• Cast : Will Smith , Aunjanue Ellis , Jon Bernthal , Tony Goldwyn , Saniyya Sidney , Demi Singleton
• Director : Reinaldo Marcus Green
• Inclusion Information : Black directors, Latino directors, Black actors, Female actors, Bisexual actors
• Studio : Warner Bros.
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Sports and Martial Arts , Great Girl Role Models
• Character Strengths : Courage , Gratitude , Humility , Perseverance
• Run time : 138 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : some violence, strong language, a sexual reference and brief drug references
• Awards : Common Sense Selection , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner , NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
• Last updated : August 21, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

King Richard

“King Richard” is half sports movie, half biopic. As such, it hits the sweet spots and sour notes of both genres. Depending on your perspective, this is either an invitation or a warning. Fans of the preternaturally talented tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams will flock to this origin story when it makes its simultaneous debut in theaters and on HBO Max. But the film’s title, and the Williams’ executive producer credits, should clue you in on exactly how complicated the characterization of its subject will be, and just how far the needle will be sent up the likability gauge. It seems that only directors Bob Fosse and Richard Pryor were willing to risk making their semi-autobiographical, cinematic alter egos potentially irredeemable at the expense of viewers’ comfort. Richard Williams does some infuriating things here, but the movie never once indicates he was ever wrong. This sands the edges off a film that occasionally comes at you from unexpectedly askew angles.

When Mario van Peebles decided to play his father, Melvin, in “Baadasssss,” the elder van Peebles told him “don’t make me too nice.” Will Smith adheres to this philosophy, though “King Richard” keeps pulling him back from the brink. The day before my screening, I saw Smith live on his book tour at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn. He read from his book, performed songs and chatted with Spike Lee . Smith talked about how he uses humor as a defense mechanism, an action to hide his fears. His words came back to me as I watched his performance; Richard Williams is always on, tossing off asides and comments that are often hilarious and mean enough for a Madea movie. He is larger than life, and we need a larger-than-life personality to play him, someone who can successfully overpower your defenses with charm.

Though Smith’s characterization is oversized, his best moments occur when he’s cornered into dropping his façade. He’s playing a man who refuses to acknowledge anything besides his own opinion, yet he is hauntingly effective when forced into silence. Despite two Oscar nominations, Smith is rarely given credit for his dramatic acting chops. The scenes where he shows Williams’ vulnerability have a wounded quality that lingers long after the moment has passed. Whether surveying his wounds after his umpteenth violent run-in with neighborhood riff-raff (“Daddy got beat up again!” one of his kids announces), or realizing there’s no way he can help his daughter get out of her own head on the court, Smith excels at showing the wounded man under all the bravado. It’s the screenplay by Zach Baylin that keeps threatening to undermine his performance. There’s a dramatic skittishness here that can’t be ignored. The actor is willing to be truly unlikable in appropriate moments, but the film keeps making him unimpeachable.

If you know this story, you know that Richard Williams, Compton resident and big idea man, drafted a “plan” for his daughters Venus and Serena before they were born. The plan indicated that the duo would become enormous tennis superstars. There will be no deviations, so Williams puts the elder Venus ( Saniyya Sidney ) and her younger sibling/best friend Serena ( Demi Singleton ) through their practices even when it’s pouring rain outside. “I got two Michael Jordans,” he says, and it’s fun to watch him rub a former detractor’s face in Venus’ success once she starts winning. You’d probably agree with these early naysayers if a man presented you with a brochure for his kids’ future and demanded you accepted it without question. But this movie is guilty of that same sin. We don’t even hear what the entire plan is, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think Venus and Serena were the first two Black women to play the game. No mention of the legacy of Althea Gibson can be found. I wondered if her career had any bearing on Richard’s decision to consider tennis.

Since Richard can’t reproduce by osmosis, “King Richard” reminds us the Williams sisters had a mother, Brandy, played by the always welcome Aunjanue Ellis . Ellis is somewhat trapped in the “supportive spouse who puts up with a bunch of crap yet has her own dreams” role, but she has two knockout scenes that reinforce why she’s one of my favorite currently working actors. The larger, and more impressive of the two, occurs when she finally has had enough of her husband’s self-martyrdom. Brandy reads her husband for filth, and the electricity between the fiery Ellis and the backpedaling yet still prideful Smith makes for one of the year’s best scenes. It’s a smaller version of Viola Davis ’ masterful scene opposite Denzel Washington in “ Fences ”—Brandy and Rose are saying the same thing, combatting and besting the same type of foe—but it’s equally memorable.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green is much better at directing the dramatic scenes than he is at the tennis sequences. They have a flat, repetitive quality that doesn’t reflect just how exciting they were in real life. Since this has to end, as all sports movies do, with the big game, this could have been a major deficit. But “King Richard” is smart enough to know its strength is in its acting, so it wisely cuts between the play action and Richard and Brandy’s reactions and monologues. Green is also far better at conveying the intensity of the threats in Compton (a scene of shocking violence is superbly handled by the director and Smith) than he is at depicting the inherent racism prevalent at the lily-White clubs where Venus and Serena compete. They seem too gentle and jokey, though Jon Bernthal gives a good, frustration-filled turn as coach Rick Macci.

Much will be made of Smith’s performance, which is excellent, and I’m hoping Ellis gets all the praise she deserves. But Sidney and Singleton should also be commended for their excellent work as Venus and Serena. Both have difficult roles to play, that of the rising star and the budding one temporarily trapped in her shadow, respectively. Plus, unlike Will Smith, they have to mimic two of the greatest athletes to ever play any sport. They should be kept in the conversation, because it’s the acting across the board that ultimately saves “King Richard.” It earns the extra half-star that makes this a “thumbs up” review. At 140 minutes, the film is about half an hour too long, but everyone onscreen made the extra time far more tolerable than it could have been.

“King Richard” will be available in theaters and on HBO Max on November 19th.

Odie Henderson

Odie “Odienator” Henderson has spent over 33 years working in Information Technology. He runs the blogs Big Media Vandalism and Tales of Odienary Madness. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire  here .

• Will Smith as Richard Williams
• Demi Singleton as Serena Williams
• Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams
• Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene 'Brandi' Williams
• Jon Bernthal as Rick Macci
• Tony Goldwyn as Paul Cohen
• Susie Abromeit as Robin Finn
• Kris Bowers
• Pamela Martin
• Reinaldo Marcus Green

Cinematographer

• Robert Elswit
• Zach Baylin

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Critic’s Pick

‘King Richard’ Review: Father Holds Court

Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis play the parents of Venus and Serena Williams in a warm, exuberant, old-fashioned sports drama.

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By A.O. Scott

The climactic scenes in “King Richard” take place in 1994, as Venus Williams, 14 years old and in her second professional tennis match, faces Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario , at the time the top-ranked player in the world. If you don’t know the outcome, you might want to refrain from Googling. And even if you remember the match perfectly, you might find yourself holding your breath and full of conflicting emotion as you watch the director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s skillful and suspenseful restaging.

You most likely know what happened next. Venus and her younger sister Serena went on to dominate and transform women’s tennis, winning 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them (plus 14 doubles titles as a team) and opening up the sport to aspiring champions of every background. (They are credited as executive producers of this film.) You might also know that those achievements fulfilled an ambition that their father, Richard Williams, had conceived before Venus and Serena were born.

In the years of their ascent, he was a well-known figure, often described with words like “controversial,” “outspoken” and “provocative.” “King Richard” aims in part to rescue Williams from the condescension of those adjectives, to paint a persuasive and detailed picture of a family — an official portrait, you might say — on its way to fame and fortune.

In modern Hollywood terms, the movie might be described as a two-for-one superhero origin story, in which Venus (Saniyya Sidney) takes command of her powers while Serena (Demi Singleton) begins to understand her own extraordinary potential, each one aided by a wise and wily mentor. But this is a fundamentally — and I would say marvelously — old-fashioned entertainment, a sports drama that is also an appealing, socially alert story of perseverance and the up-by-the-bootstraps pursuit of excellence.

It’s also a marriage story. When we first meet them, in the early 1990s, Richard (Will Smith) and his wife, Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis), are living with five daughters in a modest bungalow-style house in Compton, Calif. He works nights as a security guard, and she’s a nurse. Their shared vocation, though — the enterprise that is the basis of their sometimes fractious partnership — is their children.

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‘King Richard’ Review: Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis Inspire as Venus and Serena Williams’ Eye-on-the-Prize Parents

Indie director Reinaldo Marcus Green steps up his game big time in this engaging true-life drama about how Richard Williams steered his daughters to dominate the sport of tennis.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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The vast majority of sports movies are about exceptional talent. “ King Richard ” is about exceptional belief: the conviction of one man, Richard Williams, that he could turn his daughters Venus and Serena into the world’s greatest tennis players. It’s a plan he hatched — together with wife/queen Brandi — even before the girls were born and put down in a 78-page manifesto, nearly all of which has come true (or so the film informs us over the end credits). Hindsight makes this a story worth telling. At the time, everyone thought he was crazy. “It’s like asking someone to believe you have the next two Mozarts living in your house,” says one coach, passing up the opportunity of a lifetime.

Featuring a grizzled and nearly unrecognizable Will Smith in the title role, “Monsters and Men” director Reinaldo Marcus Green ’s “King Richard” is a good old-fashioned Horatio Alger story for our time, detailing how a Black kid who grew up “running from the Klan” in Shreveport, La., set his mind to a goal and made it happen. He may have raised his five daughters in Compton — “ghetto Cinderellas,” in the character’s words — but through hard work and dedication, they achieved the American dream (to the tune of five Wimbledon titles and a $12 million contract, in Venus’ case).

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That’s the reductive version of the Williams family story and the one everyone knows (even this critic, who’s never watched a pro tennis match in his life). But playing spectator to Venus’ success — while Serena readies herself in her sister’s shadow — is hardly the reason to seek out a two-and-a-half-hour biopic, especially when we know the outcome going in. The attraction here is discovering where the family came from, what they overcame and how Richard’s master plan played out in practice. And the beauty of Zach Baylin’s script is that while the arc is familiar, hardly a single detail could be described as clichéd, seeing as how the specifics are virtually unprecedented.

Popular on Variety

Richard takes umbrage at a certain point when a pair of sports agents show up angling to represent Venus. They keep referring to her story as “incredible” (which it is), though Richard interprets that choice of words as a coded slight against their race (which it is too), explaining to these white guys that the lack of diversity in tennis was the specific reason he targeted that particular mountain for his daughters to climb. Later, when Venus thinks she’s ready to compete, he reminds her of the responsibility that she carries onto the court, as her future accomplishments will expand the potential of Black girls everywhere.

Sure enough, Venus and Serena Williams have become examples to millions of Americans, and this movie exists for their benefit and all those whom their story has not yet reached. This is inspirational filmmaking at its most effective, in part because it frames the family’s achievement as a matter of commitment above all, suggesting that practically anyone could do the same if they set their minds to it. Personally, having known a couple athletes who snapped after being driven to extremes by similarly single-minded parents, I wouldn’t recommend Richard Williams’ approach, but that’s not what “King Richard” is selling. (“Saint Richard” might have been a more appropriate title, even if the movie acknowledges his infidelity and other failings.)

Green shows the man coaching his daughters on the dilapidated Compton public tennis courts, rain or shine, under the watchful eye of local gangbangers. When a neighbor calls the police on them for being too hard on their kids, both Richard and Brandi (Aunjanue Ellis, the movie’s secret weapon) stand up and explain that they have to be tough, since “running the streets” is simply not an acceptable alternative. That’s the essence of the Horatio Alger formula: Effort and virtue are invariably rewarded. No one wants to hear the stories of all the other tennis parents Richard dismisses, grumbling that they ought to be shot.

But just as Americans like to see hard work rewarded, they are creeped out by the idea of stage parents — from the Jonbenet Ramsay phenomenon to “tiger moms” who drive their kids toward a predetermined career path. It’s not always clear what sets Richard apart from such obsessive personalities, other than his repeated insistence that he wants Venus and Serena to “have fun” at the sport and the later choice to pull them out of junior tournaments after Jennifer Capriati (who broke all sorts of youngest-ever records) was arrested with marijuana in a Florida hotel room.

Richard offers his girls both pressure and protection; he’s willing to get beaten up on behalf of his daughters, if necessary. In one unexpected scene, he takes the gun from his security job and plans to shoot the thug who’s been harassing his daughter, but fate has other plans. Green isn’t afraid to show the Williams family praying or putting their faith in a higher power (an important dimension of so many Americans’ lives seldom depicted in studio movies). Nor is he shy about acknowledging the countless prejudices working against them, whether personal or systemic (as when Brandi reacts to the Rodney King beating: “At least they got them on tape this time”).

Impressive as Smith is as the scruffy, slightly stoop-shouldered Richard — channeling the actor’s natural charisma into a kind of stubborn yet supportive focus — the movie offers him a formidable equal in Ellis as his wife. Publicly, Brandi lets Richard call the shots, but in private (where the movie’s most impactful scenes take place), she’s not afraid to remind him that the Williams family project is a group effort.

Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton are strong in their respective roles as young Venus and Serena, handling both the dramatic and athletic dimensions of their characters across a span of approximately three years. And Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal merit mention as Paul Cohen and Rick Macci, the coaches who agreed to take them on, despite their unconventional background — not so much Compton as the fact of being trained by a hands-on dad who inserted himself into the process.

Judging by the success of Smith’s own superstar kids, Jaden and Willow, the subject is hardly an unfamiliar one, even if the actor’s approach to their careers is far different from his character’s. The Smith family and the Williamses have something in common in a country where white men hold disproportionate control over the gates of entry: By developing (or at least encouraging) talent that can make others rich, too, they wrest the power to their side of the bargaining table. You might argue that the Smith kids built on what the “Fresh Prince” started, whereas “King Richard” dreamt what no one from Compton had done before — and yet in both cases, they’re showing others how the long game is played.

Reviewed at Telluride Film Festival, Sept. 2, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 146 MIN.

• Production: A Warner Bros. Pictures release and presentation of a Star Thrower Entertainment, Westbrook, Keepin’ It Reel production. Producers: Tim White, Trevor White, Will Smith. Executive producers: Isha Price, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, Adam Merims, Lynn Harris, Allan Mandelbaum, Jon Mone, Peter Dodd.
• Crew: Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green. Screenplay: Zach Baylin. Camera: Robert Elswit. Editor: Pamela Martin. Music: Kris Bowers.
• With: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal, Andy Bean, Kevin Dunn, Craig Tate.

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'King Richard,' the Oscar-nominated film, authentically depicts the Williams' history

Mandalit del Barco

The cast of King Richard at the Los Angeles Premiere AFI Fest 2021 (L-R: Demi Singleton, Serena Williams, Will Smith, Venus Williams, Saniyya Sidney, Aunjanue Ellis). Eric Charbonneau/Warner Bros. Entertainment hide caption

The cast of King Richard at the Los Angeles Premiere AFI Fest 2021 (L-R: Demi Singleton, Serena Williams, Will Smith, Venus Williams, Saniyya Sidney, Aunjanue Ellis).

King Richard is up for Best Picture and five other categories at this year's Academy Awards. It's the story of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams and their family. To give their stamp of approval to the production, Isha Price, one of the three older sisters, was on set every day to make sure the filmmakers told their story authentically.

"We've been approached different times about doing a movie, and it never seemed to be right because the story's still being written," Price says. "This script was different."

Price says her family appreciated how the film is really Venus Williams' origin story, before she won seven Grand Slam singles titles , five Wimbledon championships and four Olympic gold medals. And long before her little sister Serena won 23 Grand Slam singles titles of her own, seven Wimbledon championships and four Olympic gold medals.

"Serena is hands down the GOAT, she's the best has ever done it," says Price. "But even she said historically that that doesn't happen without Venus, that there had to be somebody to bust that door open."

It was Richard Williams who planned for his daughters to become tennis royals even before they were born.

"The size and scope of the dream was so huge that it it bordered on insanity," says Will Smith, who's nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for playing Williams." It's sort of where you have to live if you want to do something that's never been done before."

Will Smith, one of the film's producers, says he got into character by speaking and dressing like Richard Williams. Chiabella James/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. hide caption

Will Smith, one of the film's producers, says he got into character by speaking and dressing like Richard Williams.

Aunjanue Ellis is nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for portraying Oracene Price, the queen to king Richard. Ellis says they shared the vision. "They were like, 'Let's create tennis champions. Mr. Richard was the architect of the dream and Mrs. Price was the builder of that dream.'"

The film opens in the late 1980's, early 1990's when the family lived in Compton. Venus and Serena practiced in battered tennis courts while their dad worked the night shift as a security guard, and reigned over his family with love, humor and determination.

"Have some fun out there," he would tell him daughters on the tennis courts. "That's what this is about."

Williams was their coach before moving the family to Florida for professional training. He made waves for his audacious business plans and for taking the girls out of stressful tennis competitions so they could be kids.

"This is a man who was battered and maligned in the press," Smith notes. "And in retrospect, if you look at it, it was only because he was trying to protect his daughters."

In one scene, Williams confronts police officers called to their house by a nosy neighbor who wanted them to check on the five daughters.

"We got future doctors, lawyers, plus a couple tennis stars in this house," he tells them. "What you not gonna never do is come knock on this door, talking about you have to blow they damn brains out in them streets 'cause they runnin' with hoodlums and doing drugs and things. That's what you not never gonna never see in this house."

Later, Williams encourages Venus to take her tennis further, when she says she's ready. " You not gonna just be representing you," he tells her, "You gonna be representing every little Black girl on Earth."

Smith, one of the film's producers, says he got into character by speaking and dressing like Richard Williams.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

King richard is will smith at his oscar-iest.

"The equivalent of his crown was those short shorts," Smith chuckles. "Yeah, it sounds like a joke, but when I put those short shorts on, I really felt into Richard Williams. I understood, oh, wait a second, he thinks he's fly. And I realize, oh, he has an image in his mind of what the tennis parent mogul looks like."

Meanwhile, Oracene quietly worked as a nurse to support the family. Ellis says the matriarch coached Serena behind the scenes.

"Now people will know the truth of that," she says. "I do think the triumph of King Richard is that you get to see a reflection of this beautiful Black family."

Oracene Price quietly worked as a nurse to support her family. She also coached Serena behind the scenes. Warner Bros. Entertainment hide caption

Oracene Price quietly worked as a nurse to support her family. She also coached Serena behind the scenes.

It was important to the Williams family and Director Reinaldo Marcus Green that the film also get the tennis moves correctly, demonstrating Venus and Serena's powerful lobs and open stance plays. "But I was less interested in making a tennis movie," Green says, "This was a movie about a family that had tennis in it."

Green says their stories were familiar to him, having grown up in a rough New York neighborhood playing baseball, and being coached by his dad. "My father wore those short shorts and I understood how a Black man with a big personality could be misunderstood for being outspoken." He says he too, "had a father that raised us with love."

To write the screenplay, Zach Baylin referenced anecdotes from Richard Williams' memoir, and books by Serena Williams and coach Rick Macci. Baylin and the producers also interviewed Oracene Price.

"She read the script and said that was what was most important for her was that we didn't make her look like a chump," says Baylin. "She can be a very soft-spoken person, but when she does choose to speak, she's very intentional and very strong and pointed, and she wanted that to come across."

Just before the film shoot wrapped, Isha Price, Venus and Serena Williams officially signed on as executive producers. Will Smith says their support meant the world.

"They called me directly after they saw it and Venus said 'thank you for telling the world truth about our daddy.'"

But Smith says he's still dying to know Richard Williams' reaction. "Serena was like, 'He says he hasn't seen it yet. We've been trying to get him to watch. And she said 'it's not beyond daddy to have watched it and don't tell us.'"

Correction March 21, 2022

An earlier version of this story mistakenly said Aunjanue Ellis has been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. She has been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

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Review: Will Smith rules in ‘King Richard,’ a Venus-and-Serena drama with a sharp spin

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“Keep your stance open.” These words, or some variation on them, form a steady refrain in “King Richard,” Reinaldo Marcus Green’s shrewd, slick and enormously satisfying drama about the forging of a pair of tennis superstars. To anyone who will listen (and some who won’t), Richard Williams demands that his young daughters Venus and Serena use an open-stance technique, not the closed stance favored by most others. It’s a nifty running gag, rooted in the truth: Richard and his then-wife, Oracene, really did teach their daughters this method, which would become more widely adopted in the wake of their fame and influence. And because sports dramas and biopics are all about tidy metaphors, it’s also a lesson: Stay loose. Stay flexible. Keep an open mind.

This is admittedly rich advice coming from Richard, who is easily the most stubborn, closed-minded person in the movie and possibly the greater Los Angeles area. As played by an outstanding, wholly committed, sometimes fearlessly insufferable Will Smith, Richard is a combination of helicopter parent, personal publicist, battle strategist and drill sergeant, with a disarmingly friendly, quippy manner that doubles as an instrument of persuasion. Running around town in his tennis-coach regalia of short shorts and knee-high socks, Richard cajoles, insists, argues and refuses to take no for an answer. But for all his initially boundless energy, he sometimes betrays a haggard, heavy-eyed exhaustion, as if even he were getting a little tired of his company.

The details of the outsize role that Richard Williams played in Venus and Serena’s success are by now well known: the exhaustive 70-plus-page plan he wrote for them; the rain-or-shine practices he led on Compton’s cracked-concrete tennis courts; his headline-generating decision to keep his daughters from playing in junior tournaments; his unapologetically self-promotional media interviews; his my-way-or-the-highway attitude in every situation. His plan worked, the closing titles reassure us, which doesn’t entirely neutralize the exasperation of his company. And the paternalistic perspective of “King Richard” — which, like its title, both critiques and lionizes its subject — might provoke a similar irritation. Don’t Venus and Serena Williams deserve biopics of their own? Why does a movie about two game-changing athletes focus on their dad?

For ‘King Richard,’ Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis serve a nuanced look at Black life and love

‘King Richard’ stars Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis on the pressures and joy of portraying living icons and finding the emotional truth of Richard and Oracene Williams’ relationship.

Nov. 14, 2021

To tackle the first question: Sure, if deserve is the word. With few exceptions, the celebrity biopic has long been the clunky white elephant of Hollywood moviemaking, a vehicle for reductive insights, canned uplift, middling impersonations and unexamined idol worship. The best ones tend to come at their real-life subjects from a more oblique angle, putting what this movie’s milieu compels me to call an interesting spin on the material. And even when it falls back on familiar beats or airbrushes away unflattering details (it’s worth noting that Venus, Serena and their sister Isha Price are among the executive producers), “King Richard,” assuredly directed by Green from a thoughtful, angular script by Zach Baylin, is never uninteresting.

The reason for this is, in some ways, an answer to the second question: No halfway honest movie could focus on the teenage Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) without also focusing on Richard. For better or worse, he was always there. So, for that matter, were their mother, Oracene (a superb Aunjanue Ellis), and their half sisters Yetunde, Isha and Lyndrea Price (played, respectively, by Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson and Layla Crawford), with whom they formed an inseparably tight unit. The movie’s signature image is of Richard driving a rickety Volkswagen bus around Los Angeles with all five girls crammed into the back, an image of family solidarity as touching as it is gently amusing.

But their journey is anything but smooth, their path anything but certain, despite Richard’s protests to the contrary. Veering from Compton to West Palm Beach, Fla., to Oakland, “King Richard” lovingly re-creates the look, feel and competitive ambience of the mid-’90s tennis world. Green shoots the tennis matches with crisp, invigorating panache (and with energizing contributions from cinematographer Robert Elswit, editor Pamela Martin and composer Kris Bowers). Names like Jennifer Capriati, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras float through the ether, and some of them pop up in spot-on cameos.

Unable to afford a coach who could push his daughters to that next level, Richard shops around for someone who will be sufficiently impressed to do it for free. And the sisters are beyond impressive. Venus, the older of the two by a year, gets most of the attention early on, and the winning Sidney plays her with a quiet, unassuming confidence that doesn’t preclude a teenager’s natural anxiety and excitement. Before long, she’s being coached by the famous likes of Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) and Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal), both of whom Richard infuriates early and often with his father-knows-best attitude. You can’t help but feel for both coaches, especially Rick, whom Bernthal makes so lovable in his help-me-help-you frustration.

But you also can’t help but see Richard’s perspective and appreciate the larger points he’s making. He knows that the paths to the American Dream are fewer, and the stakes of every decision higher, for two Black girls competing in a predominantly rich, white country-club sport. (He also knows that therein lies both an obstacle and an opportunity.) And his rejection of the coaches’ one-size-fits-all advice — he insists that his daughters’ education, not their tennis, comes first — is born of a protective instinct that few of his fellow tennis parents have had to shoulder.

In ways that echo his excellent, underseen debut feature, “Monsters and Men,” Green subtly tracks the social and psychological ripple effects of crime in a vulnerable community. In Smith’s jaded gaze and wary posture you see years of exposure to casual violence, from the attacks by racist white men he endured as a kid to the gang harassment that disrupts Venus and Serena’s Compton practices. (The fatal 2003 shooting of Yetunde Price isn’t foreshadowed during the movie or mentioned at the end, but there’s something about the loving attention the camera gives her, and her parents’ beaming pride at her academic stardom, that feels like a tribute to her memory.)

And so, like a good tennis player himself, Richard keeps everyone off-balance, the audience included. Nearly every step forward, every milestone, occasions a sudden reversal of strategy that he claims was part of his plan all along. Competitive as hell, he nonetheless urges his daughters toward unwavering humility, even in private, which is a challenge once they start winning left and right. He’s tough on his kids, but he knows toughness isn’t the same as meanness; their parent-child interactions are a model of functionality and understanding, in contrast to the rage verging on abuse we see other tennis parents meting out to their kids.

Which is not to say that the family is always in one accord. Venus and Serena don’t often say much, at least not with words — their fierce athleticism on the court communicates plenty — but Serena’s second-run treatment is duly acknowledged, as is their one-of-a-kind mix of sisterly camaraderie and future Grand Slam competitiveness. And Richard’s most formidable opponent, not surprisingly, is Oracene, played by Ellis with a down-to-earth emotional forthrightness that keeps you on her side from start to finish. She pushes back against Richard’s arrogance and his more extreme proclamations, asserting her own strong, steady hand in her daughters’ upbringing, including the honing of their tennis skills. And Ellis herself comes powerfully close to transcending the parameters of the supportive wife role she’s been given, a cliché that the movie rejuvenates without entirely sidestepping.

Oracene’s most forceful monologue makes a few glancing, perfunctory references to Richard’s past infidelities and other children, foreshadowing their divorce and briefly suggesting the more emotionally honest and complicated portrait of marital discord that “King Richard” might have been. Still, what we see on-screen is both rewardingly jagged and uncommonly thoughtful, an engrossing family drama that doubles as a sharp rethink of how a family operates within the overlapping, often overbearing spheres of race, class, sports and celebrity. It climaxes, as it must, with a hell of a match, but the movie’s most furious volleys are rhetorical, psychological and, finally, emotional. Venus and Serena Williams’ story is as spoiler-proof as they come, which doesn’t mean it won’t break you open.

‘King Richard’

Rating: PG-13, for some violence, strong language, a sexual reference and brief drug references Running time: 2 hours, 18 minutes Playing: Starts Nov. 19 in general release; also streaming on HBO Max

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King Richard

A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard. A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard. A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard.

• Reinaldo Marcus Green
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• Jon Bernthal
• 612 User reviews
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• 50 wins & 137 nominations total

Top cast 99+

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• Trivia As a thank you to the cast, Will Smith divided his $40 million earnings from the movie amongst the other actors as bonuses for them.
• Goofs Arantxa Sánchez Vicario is regularly announced and shown as Vicario on the scoreboard, which wouldn't have happened. She was first known as Arantxa Sánchez, then she added Vicario to honor her mother. Following Spanish usage, Sánchez, her father's name, was always the prime part of her last name and she was known as Sánchez Vicario.

Richard Williams : 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.

• Crazy credits During the credits, real documented footage was shown of Richard Williams and his daughters Venus and Serena. From camcorder footage to TV broadcasts, it showed a summary of the accomplishments that the Williams had achieved.
• Connections Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Movies of 2021 (2021)
• Soundtracks Get Me Back on Time, Engine Number 9 (Pt. 1 & 2) Written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff Performed by Wilson Pickett Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

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• November 19, 2021 (United States)
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• Nov 21, 2021
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King Richard Review

19 Nov 2021

King Richard

There’s a particular heartbreak in watching a man being beaten up in front of his little kids. We see it happen early on here, after Richard Williams ( Will Smith ) confronts a local hood for flirting with his young daughter Venus (Saniyya Sidney). It’s not, we learn, the first time it’s happened to the oft patronised, oft dismissed, oft humiliated father.

King Richard , exec-produced by Venus and Serena, is a love letter to his dogged ambition, without which, they’ve said, they would never have become who they are. A biopic that doesn’t feel like a biopic, a sports film that doesn’t feel like a sports film, it’s a freewheeling but intense family drama, a tribute to the love that bound them — even if their father’s bullishness repeatedly threatened to break it all up.

Smith’s version of Richard Williams doesn’t care what anyone thinks, with an often unbearable bullheadedness: he’s the Terminator of tennis parents, dismissing those who displease him, unafraid of insulting those with power, at one point ending a meeting he doesn’t like by farting. He’s a cocktail of confidence and insecurity, walking with a hunch that betrays how he really sees himself. Smith immerses himself in Williams, wielding only minor make-up (mostly eyebrows) to look more like, well, the rest of us — so hardly Charlize Theron/Aileen Wuornos levels of disguise, but enough to make it not seem like The Will Smith Show. It’s his best work in years.

There are no big cheesy moments. No montages. No melodrama.

Yet, despite the title character taking centre stage, Venus and Serena share the spotlight. The young Sidney and Demi Singleton give a pair of vibrant performances that convey Venus and Serena’s undeniable star quality, performed with a naturalism that makes the actors feel like real sisters. The whole family seems tight, including Aunjanue Ellis as Richard’s long-suffering wife Brandi, who exudes a quiet power, which ends up being not so quiet when she’s pushed.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green broke out with 2018’s taut drama Monsters And Men , which explored race through the eyes of conflicted characters. And race is a heartbeat here too, bubbling in the background as Richard breaks down the doors of a gleaming white industry. Zach Baylin’s screenplay positions Richard as a man refusing to be hemmed in, refusing to know his place, refusing to fall into the hands of those that might want him and his family to fail. He is determined to climb out of Compton.

King Richard doesn’t reinvent the wheel, doesn’t take any wild swings, happy to deliver a solid crowdpleaser. But what’s great is what doesn’t happen. There are no big cheesy moments. No montages. No melodrama. It hits the beats you’d want but without falling into cliché, with warmth baked in so much that you’re swept along throughout, rooting for every Williams on screen. And it looks so pretty, Robert Elswit’s cinematography basking it all in a golden glow — and in love.

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King Richard Reviews

King Richard suffers from ... a conflict of interest.

Full Review | Jul 18, 2024

Anchored by Will Smith’s towering performance, “King Richard” overcomes its sanitized characterization of an exacting man to present a closer look into tough-love parenting. The result, all puns intended, is a grand slam.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jul 4, 2024

“King Richard” does something not often shown in media, but focuses on the psychological abuse of young, affluent teenage girls and how it leads to a negative self-image.

Full Review | Jun 10, 2024

King Richard gets the slick-production big-star sports-bio right, Slap or no Slap.

Full Review | Apr 26, 2024

King Richard is inspirational, crowd-pleasing, and is a film that shows exactly how bio-pics should be told.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Mar 1, 2024

King Richard is undoubtedly a Will Smith vehicle that allows him to, once again, flex his dramatic chops in a way that resembles his best performance in Michael Mann’s Ali.

Full Review | Sep 17, 2023

King Richard is not your ordinary sports movie or celebrity biopic...it unfolds like a compelling slice-of-life drama that just happens to include two of the greatest names in sports history.

Full Review | Aug 10, 2023

King Richard is a MUST WATCH Movie

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

King Richard leaves you feeling inspired and empowered as Beyonce’s Be Alive closes out the credits.

The subject matter may speak more to me than to the average moviegoer due to my emotional connection to the sport, but it's the captivating story about a dedicated, loving father that ultimately grabs the viewers.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Jul 25, 2023

Whether you’re a member of the Black community, someone pursuing a dream, or simply someone that loves a feel good rags to riches story, this film will leave you inspired and a little choked up.

Full Review | Jul 19, 2023

The acting is phenomenal, with Will Smith, who plays lead Richard Williams, offering one of his best performances. It's one of those films that'll leave you feeling motivated and hopeful -- much-needed sentiments in today's world.

Full Review | Mar 31, 2023

A rare genuine crowd-pleaser with Will Smith’s best performance since Ali.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 21, 2022

Baylin and Green incorporate depth, authenticity and attention to detail, as well as a groundedness behind the film’s real heroes—the Williams sisters, of course—to create an inspirational and crowd-pleasing feature.

Full Review | Oct 10, 2022

It is a film that transcends the trappings of sports biopics by giving life to the relationships within the family.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 23, 2022

... Uplifting film that reminds us of the democratic power of love and talent to build community.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 11, 2022

Though King Richard has a familiar framework, there is an infectious power, passion, and poignancy infused in every shot, allowing this story to represent the sports drama at its strongest and most soul-stirring, in wonderfully subversive ways

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Jul 14, 2022

An easy win rather than an all-timer.

Full Review | Jun 25, 2022

Obvious in its worst sense... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jun 17, 2022

Smith is the absolute king of this conventional movie that opens a window into the dream of two strong-willed girls. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jun 8, 2022

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Will Smith’s Performance Makes King Richard Worth Seeing

Some will look at King Richard and wonder why anyone would want to make a movie about Richard Williams, father to tennis gods Venus and Serena, when his superstar daughters’ stories are right there and more momentous. But oblique approaches to well-known tales can have their own value, and it makes some sense here — as the film is less about the father and more about a fraught but loving family relationship at a pivotal time in all their lives. Richard was born and raised in the segregated South, and his journey was a dramatic one. “Where I grew up, Louisiana, Cedar Grove, tennis was not a game peoples played,” he tells us in the film’s opening narration. “We was too busy running from the Klan.” We don’t actually see his past — the film isn’t really a biopic — but we feel it, in the hunched posture, gravelly determination, and oddly deferential hard-headedness with which Will Smith plays him. It’s as if he’s absorbed a lifetime of hurt and hate so that his kids wouldn’t have to.

When we first meet Richard, he’s already well aware that Venus and Serena (Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton) are enormous talents. Indeed, it’s all part of his so-called plan, an elaborate, preordained trajectory of how Venus and Serena’s lives and careers will develop. “When I’m interested in a thing, I learn it,” Richard tells us. “How it works, how the best peoples in the world do it. And that’s what I did with tennis, with the girls.” That goes beyond just teaching them skills, however; it also involves breaking into the circuit of big-time trainers and clubs, a world in which a Black family from Compton is a rather rare sight. Wandering into the middle of a practice match between Pete Sampras and John McEnroe, overseen by legendary coach Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), Richard insists that the bewildered Cohen watch his daughters play. Sure enough, within a few minutes, Cohen has taken on Venus as a student for free. (He can’t teach both kids, however, so Serena — who would, perhaps ironically, go on to become an even bigger tennis champion — has to stay home and continue lessons with her mom, Oracene, played by Aunjanue Ellis.)

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, King Richard bounces along briskly through its somewhat predictable plot points. Cohen tells Richard that to get noticed, Venus needs to participate in junior tournaments. Soon, she’s destroying any and all opponents, leaving her young rivals and their parents angry, humiliated, and questioning their decision to play this sport in the first place. Richard loves to talk about his aforementioned plan as an iron-clad thing, but there seems to be more improvisation and backpedaling than he lets on. Despite Venus’s astounding success in juniors, Richard becomes convinced that the relentless grind of the circuit will psychologically ruin his daughter. So he changes coaches — to Florida-based Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal, doing a perfect impression of just about every other adult I met in the 1980s), whom he hopes will train Venus without the immediate promise of competitive glory.

Of course, Richard’s decisions about doing what’s best for his daughters never actually seem to involve his daughters, or Oracene, despite the fact that she appears to have been just as instrumental in helping the girls develop their skills. That’s not the only fundamental, or obvious, inconsistency in his approach. He wants the girls to enjoy their childhoods, and to not become victims to expectations and pressure — and yet he’s harder on them than just about anyone else. We find a perfect example of this in a scene when Richard makes the whole family sit down and watch a VHS of Disney’s Cinderella ; when he feels that the kids haven’t gleaned the right lessons from the movie, he makes them watch it again. The film wants us to feel love for this man, sure — but maybe a little terror, too. (Venus and Serena are producers of the film. Richard himself was reportedly uninvolved, and even reluctant.) We understand that, for all his wisdom and his dedication to the girls, there’s a slightly tyrannical streak to this man, a refusal to entertain opposing views. He wants his daughters to be kids, but he himself, it seems, has forgotten to be a grown-up.

There’s pathos here, too. And that’s where having Will Smith pays the most dividends. Because he is also such a huge movie star, we often overlook the actor’s transformative capabilities — as evidenced in previous films like the sublime Ali and the not-so-sublime Concussion . His performance here is not a full-on impersonation, as far as I can tell. Instead, he seems to have brought his own poetic physicality to the part. He plays Richard as a rough, gruff man, his bearing nearly collapsing under all the responsibilities he’s put on himself. It’s a touching turn, but not a particularly surprising one, thanks to a pro forma script that telegraphs all its big moments and rarely tries for the unexpected, keeping all its key emotional beats to the level of incident and dialogue — which feels like a bit of a waste when you have as dynamic and versatile a presence as Smith.

Still, when King Richard works, it sings. During one teary, late-night confessional, Richard tells Venus of a time when, as a child in Shreveport, he was beaten in front of his father by a group of white men for accidentally touching one of them. He recalls that his dad just ran away from the scene, ashamed and unwilling to help. So Richard has made a promise to himself. “I never want you to look up, and see your dad running away,” he tells Venus as he chokes back tears. When the girls are competing, however, we do see him turn away, keeping his head down or off to the side — as if, for all his outward confidence, he can’t bear to watch what happens. During a climactic match between Venus and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, he’s out by the locker rooms, wandering the corridors, watching on TV, anywhere but in the stands. Earlier, we’d seen him bemusedly watching the aggressive parents of Venus’s (usually white) rivals petulantly yanking their kids away after their losses, as they loudly complained and dismissed their second- and third-place trophies. Richard may not be one of those outwardly hypercompetitive adults, but he’s not entirely free of his own fears and weaknesses either; he’s merely internalized it all. So that when he does take his seat in the stands — as he must — we understand that his daughters’ accomplishments will liberate and lift him as well.

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'King Richard' review: Will Smith's inspirational, imperfect tennis dad is Oscar-ready

Will Smith was an Oscar-nominated knockout as the title icon of “Ali” and stands out again as another sports figure, albeit a very different one, in “ King Richard .”

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Monsters and Men”), the solid and well-acted biopic (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters and on HBO Max now) chronicles Richard Williams’ efforts to make tennis champs out of his daughters,  Venus and Serena Williams . Smith brings passion and stubbornness to Richard, a controversial figure in some corners and a devoted dad in others. The movie itself is a rousing if familiar sports drama that takes care of the surface-level narrative but doesn’t delve deeply enough into the meatier stuff, at times seeming to have the wrong focal point.

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Set in the early 1990s, the movie begins in Compton, California, where Richard is a security guard by night and tennis coach by day, driving Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and younger sister Serena (Demi Singleton) to worn courts where positive messages are put up on fencing and Richard is never far from his grocery cart full of balls, even in the pouring rain. Before the girls were born, he wrote a 78-page manifesto about making them champions – and role models for a generation of Black girls. Now he just has to find someone to believe in them as much he does while also dealing with local criminals and racist neighbors.

It’s when people outside the large Williams family see Venus and Serena as “the next two” Michael Jordans that their lives – and the movie – hit the right groove. Venus’ first coach, Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), gets her into the junior tennis circuit, where Venus starts beating everybody, and then the clan moves cross-country to Florida so both of the girls can train under Jennifer Capriati’s mentor, Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal).

Will Smith: Actor discusses how father's abuse 'defined who I am today' in upcoming memoir

Richard has an ornery streak, however, which alienates those around him and threatens to drive a wedge within the family. His wife, Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis), takes him to task for not bringing her into major decisions involving the sisters, and Richard’s decision to delay Venus’ professional debut because he's unsure she's ready for the spotlight leads to a teary confrontation between father and daughter.

Smith is a naturally charismatic figure, but he loses himself in this flawed figure with a Louisiana drawl and a very specific, headstrong mindset that often stirs up trouble. It’s a role that balances being irascible and unlikable at times, and Smith serves up the nuance in one of his best roles – one that seems destined to bring him back to the Academy Awards.

'I got the heart of him': Will Smith, Williams sisters break down what's true in 'King Richard'

Ellis also is exceptional (and earns quite a bit of Oscar consideration herself) as Oracene, the quietly strong-willed mother working double shifts but also taking the reins in training Serena. Sidney and Singleton are talented fresh faces just as integral to the film as their on-screen parents, while Bernthal sets aside his usual tough-guy roles to play a positive character in the family’s lives (though Rick and Richard frequently butt heads).

Zach Baylin’s screenplay follows the Williamses through Venus’ first pro tournament, though it’s not quite the usual underdog sports story because Venus and Serena were teenage wunderkinds. The movie hits the big moments but misses the little ones, not taking the time to investigate the intriguing relationship between Richard and Oracene or what’s going on in the sisters’ heads. The dad is almost always at the center, even when the movie shifts to Venus and Serena as the most important characters, which undercuts the siblings' story. 

“King Richard” definitely succeeds, though, with its inspirational message, and Smith reigns playing a flawed man who’s just the right match for the A-lister’s talents.

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Will Smith’s real-life sports drama King Richard is so much more fun than it should be

Its flaws are troubling, but movie-star charisma and an unbeatable real-life underdog story win out

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by Robert Daniels

In Reinaldo Marcus Green’s charming, well-acted inspirational sports film King Richard , Richard Williams (Will Smith) shows Walt Disney’s Cinderella to his tennis-prodigy daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). Venus has just finished wiping the floor with a rival en route to winning another junior tennis competition. Williams doesn’t take kindly to what he perceives as Venus bragging about beating a white girl. He shows his daughters Cinderella because the film, in his mind, teaches humbleness and dignity. To Williams, a Black man who grew up in Louisiana, humility and docility is how Black folks survived in the white-dominated South.

Zach Baylin’s script, unfortunately, doesn’t fully explicate the complicated, internal politics working within Williams. This film, without explicitly saying so, is a version of events approved by the real-life Williams family. That leads to friction between the glossy, wholesome triumphs common to most sports biopics, and the uneasy interrogation needed for a character like Williams, a vain leader who’s guiding his daughters toward tremendous triumphs , while feeding them uncomfortable and even disturbing messages. That push and pull between frankness and a spin that flatters Williams keeps Green’s King Richard from being a truly great film. But it doesn’t inhibit it from being enjoyable. It’s tonally conflicted, but it’s an oddly compelling piece about an unlikely Black family succeeding in a white-dominated space.

King Richard begins in Compton, California. Richard, Oracene (a captivating Aunjanue Ellis), and their five daughters live in a modest, crime-riddled neighborhood. Oracene works double shifts as a nurse, while Richard trains Venus and Serena during the day, and works as a security guard at night. Richard knows his daughters are talented — he believes he’s training up the next two Michael Jordans. But Compton’s downtrodden surroundings provide few facilities, and lack the institutional or community support required to mold champions. So Richard spends many of his days promoting his two prodigies: He makes a corny, low-budget promotional video, makes up a booklet about their potential, and stalks the upper-crust country clubs, searching for an investor.

Green’s film follows several familiar inspirational sports motifs, especially some seen in Randall Wallace’s Secretariat . In both films, the protagonist ignores conventional wisdom in lieu of their own instincts, believing success lurks just around the corner if they keep with their plan. The villainous obstacles in this narrative are the nonbelievers. Richard and Oracene’s busybody neighbor routinely chastises them for how hard they work their daughters. The local gang members catcall Williams’ eldest daughter, Tunde (Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew). In one odd scene, Williams comes close to killing one of the gangbangers, but a brutal twist of fate intercedes on his behalf. How the audience is supposed to emotionally read a Black teen suffering due to cyclical violence isn’t altogether clear.

The film doesn’t shy away from Williams as both a control freak and a huckster. When Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) becomes the girls’ trainer, he grates against Williams’ insistence that Venus and Serena use an open stance, especially since Williams’ scant tennis knowledge comes from the multiple nights he stays up reading tennis magazines or listening to instructional audiotapes. They butt heads even more when Williams decides to pull the girls off the junior tournament circuit. Most of the time, Williams is acting from a place of love: He doesn’t want his daughters burning out under the weight of competition. King Richard somewhat critiques the pressures piled onto sports children, especially by their parents, by showing a montage of tennis kids berating themselves for not succeeding.

Even so, the first hour of King Richard is shaky, mostly because it relies too heavily on Williams’ perspective without actually inspecting him. His outlook on Black folks entering white spaces seems fascinating: He openly believes his daughters shouldn’t make waves, and shouldn’t trust the private, luxurious country clubs where they end up. But Green leaves that tension on the surface. The same goes for any consideration of whether Williams is abusing his kids by pushing them so relentlessly. He talks about wanting Venus and Serena to just be kids, but when are they ever just kids? The most relevant and potentially emotional scenes aren’t seen, merely talked about.

King Richard doesn’t lock in until its second half, when the film becomes more an ensemble than Williams’ story. Sidney and Singleton are given meatier scenes for their affableness to shine through. Jon Bernthal as the girls’ second trainer, Rick Macci, is a fireball of energy fueled by short-shorts, thunder thighs, and a lightning mustache. Ellis has a couple of show-stopping scenes where she takes Williams to task for his selfishness.

The intensity swimming in Ellis’ eyes, her naturalism, approaching the character not as a caricature but a real person, contrasts greatly with Will Smith, who balances his charming movie-star persona with broader character beats. Smith’s decisions don’t always work: His accent often slips, and the hunched shape he gives his body too often allows the seams of his performance to show. The best portions for Smith always occur when he’s relying on his easy wit. The worst portions occur when he tries to bring across Richard Williams’ contradictory racial politics. He plays both Williams’ subservience and his rebellion at a surface level.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit shoots the tennis matches in a claustrophobic fashion, positioning the camera exclusively behind the serving player. That decision takes the excitement out of the tennis. Richard Loncraine’s rom-com Wimbledon took a different tack, using full and establishing shots to contextualize the action. Viewers could see the ball travel, the players’ movement, and the gamesmanship of the shots. Such pleasures elude King Richard .

Multiple competing interests are pulling on this film: The need to sanitize Williams’ image, the desire to make an already inspirational story more mainstream. King Richard never delves into the grittier side of racial dynamics, instead remaining at arm’s length while quickly moving past references to Rodney King or the Jim Crow South. The more interesting movie would probably be told from Venus and Serena’s perspective.

But in spite of those shortcomings, the beguiling draw of this rags-to-riches story can’t be denied. Smith’s immense movie-star presence can’t be ignored. And the other crowd-pleasing performances, are delightful, complete with a bevy of open-hearted one-liners. Green’s King Richard isn’t a great movie, but it doesn’t need to be when the characters are this warm, and its message is so earnest.

King Richard debuts in theaters and on HBO Max on Nov. 19. It will stream exclusively on HBO Max through Dec. 19.

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Will Smith Makes a Racket as Venus and Serena’s Dad in ‘King Richard’

By K. Austin Collins

K. Austin Collins

In his 2014 memoir Black and White: The Way I See It , Richard Williams — father of tennis legends Venus and Serena and a noted celebri-dad in his own right — tells the story of the lynching of his childhood best friend, a boy his age named Lil Man. 

This was in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the 1950s. His was an impoverished but eventful life, as Williams describes it, marred by his father’s emotional abandonment and by the racism of the era, but brightened by Williams’ sense of duty to his mother and sisters. He spent his adolescence tending to a produce garden in his family’s backyard, going so far to hire employees — loiterers he paid to stalk street corners and drive business his way. Whatever produce they didn’t have to sell, Williams stole from white vendors, passing it off as his own stock. Reckless? Heroic? He was a young Black man whose father, in the memoir’s telling, “put me way behind the starting line in the race of life.” The race of life : a phrase tragically summarized in Lil Man’s lynching. The act was a warning to young men like Williams not to get ahead of themselves, never mind their barely keeping pace to begin with. This is not a story that the Richard Williams of King Richard , played by Will Smith , tells in explicit detail onscreen, despite being a man full of stories — and potentially, to the primarily white world of tennis in the 1990s, full of shit. Nor does the movie give us the lowdown on another tale Williams spins in his memoir, one that’s just as memorable and revealing: of dressing up in a Klan uniform as a teenager and, feeling duly empowered, knocking a white guy upside his head with a stick. 

Here’s what the movie does give us: a Richard Williams who somehow makes those stories — their brash, tireless, fearless near-foolishness — plausible. A Williams for whom abandonment by one’s father is a mistake not to be repeated. 

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King Richard is, in the broad sense, a movie about the making of Venus and Serena. It gets there through a portrait of their father that is in many ways consistent with the man we meet in that memoir — consistent, that is, with the stories he’s told about himself, as distinct from the stories told about him in the media during his heyday as a thorn in the tennis world’s side. It’s a portrait keen on making us aware of the vast gulf between these portrayals, and on trying to get us to see this man from both sides. 

So we are treated to an equal-parts moving and humorous depiction of Williams the hard-working family man, on the one hand, and of Williams the dadager on the other. The latter Williams was infamous for shirking the so-called rules of the game and troubling, in his private life, for his willingness to steamroll the desires of even those people closest to him, the women in his life that he was ostensibly working so hard to support. We get Williams the persistent pain in the ass who knows that the only way to bring two Black girls from Compton to the attention of the best tennis coaches in the country is, frankly, to be a pain in the ass; and the Williams so dead-set on his vision for the family’s future that he forgets to talk things over with his wife, Brandy (played by the great Aunjanue Ellis), who’s just as much their coach as he is. The Williams who embodies stubbornness while chastising his daughters for it; and who can’t even let a family rewatch of Cinderella go by without turning it into a pop quiz on morality. 

Williams, as charismatically portrayed by Smith, is overwhelming. Obstinate. Bold. Savvy. Pugnacious. Selfless in that special way that somehow veers right back around to selfishness. On the subject of Venus and Serena, who he believes will be the future of tennis, he is also absolutely correct. Which leads to another of his standout qualities: He knows it. King Richard sayeth that these women will rule the world of sports. And they do. Williams’ fearsome need to do for his five daughters what his own father denied him is King Richard ’s salient dramatic spark. It’s the scaffolding of the character and, accordingly, the movie. It’s the essence of who the movie says the man is.

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by first-time screenwriter Zach Baylin, King Richard is set in the early Nineties, when Venus and Serena (played, respectively, by Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, lovely young stars who are easy to root for) and their three sisters are still teens or younger. It’s a time when the streets of Compton are vulnerable to drive-bys and the cops are a hovering threat. The Rodney King beating is being played and replayed on TV. A nosey neighbor calls the cops on the Williams family with fake concern for the ways that Richard and Brandy are overworking their daughters. Much of this is cinematic territory already covered in films from the period in which King Richard is set, like John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood , down to even the hard-won lessons bestowed by strict, caring, fearless Black parents. The familiarity of the dynamic isn’t a reference to that earlier film , but an effort at continuing its counternarrative. To the misjudgments of the Moynihan Report and its view on Black families, here are movies about Black parents — the plural matters — being courageous, vital forces in their children’s’ lives, contra a broader public belief that Black households such as this did not exist. 

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Only, as a film about raising young Black women, and as a film about sports, there are lessons in King Richard  that we won’t find in films like Boyz . In the midst of everything else being thrown the Williams daughters’ way (including tennis balls), the film nods to the distinct dangers facing young women, the street education they’re getting in the realities of catcalling and predatory men. And tennis? Its overbearing whiteness tends to speak for itself.

These are the overwhelming external odds confronting this family. Despite hard-working parents (he’s a night guard; she’s a nurse; both are skilled tennis coaches) and sky-high dreams, those odds seem not to be in its favor. We all know how this story ends, and the movie knows that we know, but so far as this Williams family is concerned, nothing is guaranteed — even as Richard’s belief that his daughters will succeed has all the power and might of a sure thing. The movie’s portrait of Compton isn’t entirely played for sociological seriousness. It becomes something of a joke to see white men, specifically the likes of Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) and Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) — coaches who take a chance on these young women, thanks to Richard’s persistence — riding into town, getting a taste of how the other half lives, looking as pale and out of place as ponies at a horse race. As the necessary counterpoint to the whiteness of the tennis world, this version of Compton almost feels too simple, as if the movie’s prying our mouths open — and those of the white coaches —  to ask, “They came from this ?” When drive-by shootings become a trope on the way to other peoples’ Horatio Alger-esque success stories, something is possibly amiss. 

But there’s a strong, straightforward drama coursing through the heart of the movie, the predictable but satisfying undulation of the underdog story arc — in sum, the stuff that makes sports movies such reliable vehicles for tear-jerking, riveting storytelling. The world of tennis, and the prejudices that come with it, proves a key ingredient. Here, it is a world beset with stereotypes that have a twinge of satire, as during a succession of scenes in which every one of Venus’ white competitors storms off after losing, like an entitled brat. The country clubs with their pools and high-end burgers, the Rick Macci tennis camp, the home the Williams are given to live in while they train: all of it stands in, not inaccurately, for the whiteness of the entire sport, the ease with which money is both a barrier and an expectation. 

It’s into these spaces that we get King Richard asserting himself as, well, himself, armed with brochures about his daughters, finessing his way into meetings with the best coaches in the country, all the while holding the reins of his daughters’ images and careers. Despite its well-worn triumphant narrative, King Richard proves convincing at giving credence to the idea of Williams as a fact already stranger than fiction — the kind of man you can’t help but feel is a real character , in the everyday-life sense of that phrase: a one-of-a-kind guy, hard to reproduce. Green and Smith make good on the fact that Williams is dedicated to his daughters to the point of being just this side of nutty. The character grows into someone whose choices you cannot always trust, even if history would prove him right eventually — and in proving him right, make a case for the value Richard sees in his daughters, which is to say, in Black women. 

That the real story at stake here is that of the rise of Venus and Serena isn’t lost on the movie. Its climactic scenes are the same as any classically satisfying sports movie’s: athletes (in this case, young Venus) making decisions about themselves, their worth, their futures, and bringing those notions to bear in a knock-down, drag-out match. This stage of King Richard is especially satisfying, the filmmaking rhythmic, the tensions nearly tactile. The movie’s emphasis on Richard, to this point, gives the action an added kick, on all fronts. When big-name sports brands try to lure Venus toward instant riches before she’s even played the match that would seal her reputation as a force to be reckoned with, King Richard transforms the scene into a shift in the balance of power: from father to daughter, from manager to star. When the actual match comes, it testifies to this shift. Richard recedes, watching from a distance. He strips himself down to one role: the supportive father. 

The movie-humble quirks of Smith’s performance are very much in line with the relatable Will we met in films like The Pursuit of Happyness , serving to heighten the seeming implausibility of the Williams sisters’ successes by occasionally verging on becoming a liability. As Williams is told time and again, the man’s professional aspirations for his virtuoso daughters, who were relatively untested when they emerged on the scene, are ambitious to the point of being stubborn. You don’t have to be from Compton for the dream of winning Wimbledon to feel like a long shot. But if you are from Compton… 

Richard’s reasoning? He wants his daughters to have childhoods. Yes, he works them hard. But when it’s time for a match, his words of encouragement are simple: Have fun . Compare this to the other tennis parents in the sport’s many country clubs, living competitively through their children. King Richard isn’t saying that Richard is less of a helicoptering control freak. It’s just that his reasons seem to be drawn from an opposite well — that well of traumatic experiences the real Richard writes about in his memoir, which get whittled down into only a few glimmering details in the movie. 

That writing choice is almost too bad, because it’s that background material, more than most of what the movie provides, that bores a hole straight into the inner life of the man, helps us make sense of a drive that seems outsized for even the most driven parents. Williams proves quite the personality, running his life like a one-man PR firm and management team (despite his wife playing just as vital a role), exercising a degree of care and control over his daughters’ lives that stood in stark contrast to the gotta-win white parents on every side. The media, seeing him from the outside, had a way of making him into a circus freak, what with his off-color — some would say candid — remarks about race and money and the game and all his talk of that 78-page plan he’d written to map out the young prodigies’ sterling futures. To the people who doubted him, Williams was a huckster. King Richard , by contrast, has faith in the man’s faith. So much so that he’s almost rendered into a saint, however human. The movie, which is admirably sincere but for a few too-drippy scenes, is sometimes at its weakest in allowing Smith to play him up like that saint, even as the screenplay makes sure to bring him down to size when it counts, as solid adult dramas tend to do. Better is Smith’s turn as Richard the Unpredictable, Richard the Overbearing, Richard the Goofy. The Richard quizzing the family on life lessons via Disney; the Richard who preaches humility yet fails to practice it. 

Zach Baylin — once a prop and set dresser for shows like Girls and Damages ; now a big-ticket Hollywood writer who’s already been tapped to pen the script for Creed III — has written an utterly consumable version of this story, shaving off the complexities of Richard’s past and even present to portray him as a man whose eye is firmly on the future. There’s a nod to the fact that Williams has children outside of his marriage to Brandy, from whom he is currently divorced. The side of Richard responsible for that indiscretion is largely left out of the movie — but of course Brandy cannot leave it unmentioned. And Ellis is too good of an actor not to give her a major scene of confrontation. She makes good on the chance, forcing us to reconcile the childhood survivalist Richard, the cheating Richard, the Richard who undermines her by excluding her, with the Richard doing good by his daughters. 

Richard Williams’ life avails us of a movie hero too robust for the usual three-act, feel-good, I-laughed-I-cried kind of movie. If that’s ultimately what King Richard is, it’s good at being what it is, generous with its character complexities and dramatic pleasures in ways that strong actors in pursuit of solid roles, to say nothing of the Oscar voters eager to reward their work, cannot resist. The basic sports-movie template of the competitive underdog who proves everyone wrong is equally irresistible — even when you already know that the story ends with the underdogs becoming two of the most heralded athletes in the history of sports. The movie’s brightest-burning idea, and it is sincerely moving, is that Richard, for his flaws, does what he does on behalf of the young Black women he’s raising. This rings true in real life and in fiction. He doesn’t need to be selfless, or even likable, for it to be true; if Smith’s performance sells us on one thing, it’s this.

Why King Richard , then, when the story of interest to most people is probably that of his daughters, tennis’s reigning queens? This is the kind of movie to question the difference. Yes, it says, these women are once-in-a-lifetime athletes. But what are we, the movie asks, if not products of the sacrifices, flaws, and sky-high aspirations of our parents?

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King Richard review: Will Smith rules in tennis biopic

King Richard seems like an odd title at first for a film about the man who brought Venus and Serena Williams to the world. As does the fact that he would become the subject of a biopic before them at all — a queen-maker, maybe, but royalty in his own right? By coming at the story sideways though, Reinaldo Marcus Green's sprawling drama (which premiered this weekend at the Telluride Film Festival) manages to be both a surprisingly nuanced portrait of a flawed and deeply complicated man and the kind of classic-uplift sports movie that used to fill multiplexes once upon a time.

Will Smith , his back hunched and beard grizzled, is Richard, a sometime security guard and inveterate hustler determined to give his five daughters with wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis) — there were also other children, by other mothers — the kind of education that can take them anywhere, or at least as far from their native Compton, California, as they want to go. He drills them on spelling and geography and daily affirmations; hard work and homework are the rule. More than anything, though, he wants them to play tennis — an improbable if not impossible idea in a place where the courts are cracked, the nets are ragged, and the volatility of South Central Los Angeles regularly seeps over the chain-link fence.

Richard sees a particular promise in Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) that he believes can make them world champions, the Jordans and Alis of their era. But tennis is a money game — six figures on gear and training and transportation to even begin to compete on the junior circuit that's considered the only viable path to the pros. So the undauntable Richard hunts down the right people and haunts them until he finds the few who will agree to help: at first Tony Goldwyn's brusque Paul Cohen, who helped bring John McEnroe and Pete Sampras to glory, and later famed coach Rick Macci (a great, anxious Jon Bernthal, in some kind of wedged bowl haircut and shorts even tinier than Smith's).

Rick agrees to move the whole family to his idyllic academy in Florida, but he can't make Richard — brash, blustery, and devoted to a long-range game plan only he understands — abide by his ideas for them, or anyone else's. That willfulness can be crushing for the kids, who don't understand why they're being held back from the game by the same dad who taught them to love it, and for Brandy too, who has sublimated so much of herself to support him. Smith lets his Richard be as ornery and outrageous and sometimes outright unlikable as the real man could be, a reflexive contrarian and showman who often sucked up all the oxygen in the room and didn't mind answering a question he didn't like with a long blast of flatulence. But there's enough care and backstory in Zach Baylin's script to give layers to those contradictions, and real tenderness between him and his family.

About those girls: Sidney and Singleton are tremendous as Venus and Serena, even if the movie doesn't strictly belong to them, their innate sweetness and easy naturalism a bright, dynamic foil to Richard's rules and dogmas. The tennis, too, when real matches finally come into play, can be thrilling. Green (who made the small, affecting 2018 indie Monsters and Men and this year's little-seen Joe Bell ) hasn't reinvented the underdog wheel, but he has made something fresh out of the familiar — a smart reminder that when a story is told well it can hit all the beats we know, and still somehow surprise us. Grade: B+

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King Richard Parent Guide

This film is a granite-hard story of resilience and tenacity..

In Theaters and HBO Max: This biopic tells the story of Richard Williams, father and trailblazing tennis coach for his famous daughters, Venus and Serena Williams.

Release date November 19, 2021

Run Time: 138 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kirsten hawkes.

Every parent has dreams for their children, but Richard Williams (Will Smith) goes several steps further. This father of five daughters created a seventy-page plan on how to raise the best tennis players in the world. This would be an ambitious goal for any parent, but Richard and his wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis) are raising their daughters in Compton and trying to break through in a sport dominated by white players with access to top tier coaches. A Black security guard coaching his daughters on community courts seems unlikely to beat the odds – but Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) are no ordinary athletes…

King Richard is a granite-hard story of resilience and tenacity on the part of both Richard and his gifted daughters. The girls dedicate themselves to grueling practices along with rigorous focus on academics. They have apparently unbreakable self-assurance built on a clear-headed assessment of their skills and constant reminders of their worth. Richard dedicates himself to coaching his girls and finding opportunities for their advancement. He makes promotional videotapes and brochures, hoping to find a coach willing to teach them for free. He also tries to protect his girls in their dangerous neighborhood, which sees him beaten on more than one occasion. Despite the opposition, neither Richard nor his daughters ever quit.

On the downside, King Richard is often an uncomfortable film. I was never quite certain if Richard Williams was a brilliantly unorthodox father who was totally committed to his kids or if he was an obsessive eccentric who was forcing his daughters to follow the path he set for them. I also struggled to decide if he was simply a strict parent with firm rules or if he was sliding over the line into unhealthy levels of control. There’s no doubt this movie will have parents debating the pros and cons of Richard’s parenting style while also assessing their own philosophy.

The rise of Venus and Serena Williams to sports superstardom is a compelling story; sadly, the movie is much less fascinating. For starters, it’s long, clocking in at over two hours. It’s possible that the movie will seem more lively to tennis fans; I have to confess that there is no number small enough to quantify my level of disinterest in the sport. Not surprisingly, I found the tennis playing scenes interminable, but I’m fully prepared to believe that tennis fans will find them riveting. In fact, I accept that my disinterest in the sport taints my ability to be objective about the film. What I can objectively state is that the script contains about eight swear words and ten racial epithets aimed at Black characters. It also has some violent scenes where a man is beaten by a group of men. It fits comfortably in the PG-13 rating category but isn’t suited to kids, who would likely not be interested anyway.

If you are a tennis fan, King Richard might interest you. If you want to watch another take on racism in sports, this film has something to say. But if you’re looking for a fun popcorn movie to while away a Friday night, you’re better off finding a spandex-clad superhero with a simpler agenda and a less complicated personality.

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Kirsten hawkes, watch the trailer for king richard.

King Richard Rating & Content Info

Why is King Richard rated PG-13? King Richard is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some violence, strong language, a sexual reference and brief drug references

Violence: A man punches another man in the stomach. A man punches a man and hits him with a tennis racket. A group of men punch and kick another one. A man puts a gun against a man’s head. A man is shot in a drive-by. Sexual Content: A man uses a crude term for having sexual relations. Profanity: The movie contains one sexual expletive, four scatological curses, two terms of deity, a minor curse word and 10 racial epithets aimed at Black characters. Alcohol / Drug Use: None noted.

Page last updated February 24, 2022

King Richard Parents' Guide

What do you think of Richard Williams’ approach to coaching his daughters? Do you think he was too controlling or do you think it was necessary in the conditions of their neighborhood?

For more information about the historical accuracy of the movie, check out the link below:

Slate: What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in King Richard?

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Coaches are popular subjects for sports films. In Coach Carter , a high school basketball coach takes drastic measures, locking the gym and canceling games until his players improve their grades. In the 1960s, coach Don Haskins changes sports history when he signs Black players to his college basketball team in Glory Road . After three local high schools are integrated, the football coach works to create a unified team in Remember the Titans . A track coach has to battle his own demons while helping his largely Hispanic runners succeed in McFarland, USA.

'King Richard' review: Will Smith gives the performance of his life

The movie focuses on the rise of Venus, leaving Serena in the shadows.

Former Fresh Prince Will Smith gives the performance of his life in “King Richard,” in theaters and on HBO Max. Destined for awards glory, Smith sends the story of Richard Williams — the hard-driving father/coach of tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams — to the winner’s circle.

From the first sight of Richard wrangling his girls to Beyoncé power-ballading “Be Alive” over the end credits (“Couldn’t wipe this black off if I tried/That’s why I lift my head with pride”), “King Richard” easily reigns as the feel-good movie of the year. And if it sandpapers off Richard’s rougher edges, that’s what happens when a biopic comes with family approval.

Luckily, screenwriter Zach Baylin dodges the worst underdog clichés. And indie director Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Monsters and Men” “Joe Bell”) deserves high praise for keeping it real by deepening the uplift with human complications and bringing out the best in a dynamite cast.

“King Richard” is Smith’s show — Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) are still teens dreaming of Wimbledon when the film wraps — but Aunjanue Ellis as Brandy, Richard’s wife and the mother of five daughters, is an unshakeable source of love and balance in a magnificent portrayal that deserves a shower of raves.

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Since we already know that Venus and Serena will hit it big, “King Richard” tells us what we don’t know, which is how they got there, taking life lessons from an overbearing father whose persecution by the KKK in his native Louisiana magnified his determination to call the shots, even if it means breaking wind at bigots who don’t think his Black life matters.

Set in South Central Los Angeles in the 1990s era of Rodney King and drive-by shootings, the film spins around Richard’s 78-page manifesto to make Grand Slammers out of Venus and Serena, his only biological children with Brandy. But first Richard needs to get his family out of Compton with its ragged public tennis courts and into the restrictively white game of tennis.

At one point, Richard grabs a gun he uses as a security guard to retaliate against local thugs who beat him and come on to his daughters. But he’s held back by the need to create role models for a new generation of Black girls he calls “ghetto Cinderellas.”

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Though Smith adds pounds and a grizzled beard to play Richard, his ingratiating humor still shines through as he pressures two famous coaches — Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) and Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) — to train his girls. It’s hard not to laugh watching him do the hustle.

Sure his methods are unorthodox when he pulls Venus off the junior circuit, where stars are made, to enjoy school before she turns pro. This infuriates the tennis establishment and Venus who is eager to compete. “I have the game,” she tells a TV reporter, “now I need to play it.”

The movie focuses on the rise of Venus, leaving Serena in the shadows to await her own legendary turn. Sidney and Singleton play these roles with a disarming naturalness that shows they learned as much from their fiercely private mother as their spotlight-hogging father.

Did Richard push against the barriers of race, class and poverty for his girls or for himself? Though the movie lists Richard’s faults it rarely dramatizes them. But there’s no faulting the Smith tour de force. Having been nominated for “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness” (he was robbed for “Concussion”), the third time looks like the charm to make Smith Oscar royalty.

MORE: Review: 'Judas and the Black Messiah' is a new movie classic

The tennis action is thrilling, but the drama cuts deepest in the family scenes that show the sweetness and the steel required to grow up a Williams. “King Richard” is a crowd-pleaser in the best sense of the word. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll tell your friends, and you just might want to stand up and cheer.

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Biopic   King Richard  has generated primarily positive reviews from critics, largely praising the performance of Will Smith, and here's why. The movie paints a portrait of the divisive figure Richard Williams (Smith), father to professional tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams (Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton). The November 2021 movie 's true story documents the early years of Serena and Venus, showing how their father strategically and unconventionally raised two incredibly talented athletes that would profoundly impact the world of tennis and sports culture.

At the time of writing, King Richard holds a fresh score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, aggregated from 95 reviews. Sports biopics hold a special place in film, combining two equally poignant genres that, if executed correctly, can profoundly tug at the heartstrings of viewers and inspire generations to come. At 92 percent, King Richard  has surpassed popular sports biopics like I, Tonya (90%) and 42 (81%), while falling along the lines with Ford v Ferrari (92%) and Billy Beane's story,  Moneyball (94%).

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Biopics are inevitably subject to intense scrutiny by virtue of being centered on real-life figures, not to mention figures who still hold celebrity statuses today. The story of Serena and Venus Williams isn't new to many viewers, nor is the presence of their coach/father, Richard. What sets  King Richard  apart in terms of its positive reviews is how warm and emotionally poignant the sports biopic is, as driven by its incredible lead performances. Here's what the positive reviews have been saying.

New York Times :

" There is nothing haphazard or sloppy about “King Richard,” and it succeeds because it has a clear idea about what it wants to accomplish. The script, by Zach Baylin, is sometimes unapologetically corny... but the warmth and verve of the cast make the sentimentality feel earned ."

Rotten Tomatoes : ​​​​

" King Richard transcends sport biopic formulas with refreshingly nuanced storytelling -- and a towering performance from Will Smith in the title role ."

The Washington Post :

" Given the horror stories that abound about male coaches and female athletes, “King Richard” provides a welcome, wholesome flip side. "

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Roger Ebert.com :

“ Much will be made of Smith’s performance, which is excellent, and I’m hoping Ellis gets all the praise she deserves. But Sidney and Singleton should also be commended for their excellent work as Venus and Serena… because it’s the acting across the board that ultimately saves “King Richard. ”

" The vast majority of sports movies are about exceptional talent. “King Richard" is about exceptional belief: the conviction of one man, Richard Williams, that he could turn his daughters Venus and Serena into the world’s greatest tennis players. Hindsight makes this a story worth telling ."

" What we see on-screen is both rewardingly jagged and uncommonly thoughtful, an engrossing family drama that doubles as a sharp rethink of how a family operates within the overlapping, often overbearing spheres of race, class, sports and celebrity ."

Most reviews touch upon the creative tactics King Richard uses to tell the story: Using the parents to focus on the conviction of spirit rather than the exploitation or triumph of innate talent. While King Richard is a sports movie at its heart, the primary reason why critic reviews are leaning positive is the main actors’ performances. Fresh Prince star  Will Smith , in his bid for a Best Actor Oscar, gives an enthralling performance as Richard Williams. Sports biopics largely rely on actors’ performances, and King Richard properly balances the talents of its cast from the tumultuous marriage of the Williamses to the budding stardom of young Venus and Serena. King Richard is a dramatic showcase of a family that, even amongst controversy and societal criticism, leaves viewers with a warmer, more optimistic view of the world and personal potential, which is a message and tone that has been extremely popular in recent media with the likes of Apple TV+'s  Ted Lasso . Even though King Richard has been widely praised, however, there have still been some critical detractors. Here’s what some of King Richard ’s negative reviews have been saying:

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The Chicago Tribune :

“ Richard’s rougher edges and harsher parenting and training impulses have been sanded down to a nice, smooth surface. That’s a shame, because Smith is not just a movie star. He’s an extremely savvy dramatic actor, who lets his natural comic ebullience energize all sorts of material. ”

Thrillist :

" King Richard itself is too confused about its protagonist to create a compelling case as to why he should be the focus at all. Smith is caught at the center of that. Though he's putting the full weight of his significant charm behind the characterization, it's not quite enough to illuminate a puzzling figure ."

Slant Magazine :

" Indeed, in pushing back against the image of Richard Williams (Will Smith) as nothing but a greedy narcissist, the film smooths out nearly all of the man’s rough edges... the film excuses, if not outright ignores, the questionable tactics he used to push them toward greatness. "

While even the most negative reviews can’t help but give kudos to Will Smith’s performance as Richard Williams, the most common criticism is that King Richard ’s script doesn’t allow Smith to go dark enough with the figure. While Williams is known for his unconventional approaches and determinism, he was also divisive for his controversial methods and demeanor. Keeping King Richard in a warmer light, the film lets this side of Williams sit below the surface, just simmering, without ever allowing Smith to bring out the deeply dramatic nuances of the character. As such, King Richard shows its main character is an egomaniac with a volatile unlikability, but also situates him as unimpeachable, thus weakening a rounded portrayal of its real-life anti-hero. While not allowing movie star Will Smith to explore the darker side of Williams may have detracted from a complete portrait of the man in question, King Richard is still a fresh, nuanced sports biopic that presents hope and heart for viewers.

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• King Richard

King Richard (United States, 2021)

Across-the-board strong performances represent the upside of King Richard , director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s part bio-pic/part hagiography of Richard Williams (Will Smith), the (in)famous father of all-time tennis greats Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) Williams. With the two stars functioning as Executive Producers, it’s no surprise that the screenplay smooths many of their father’s rough edges and there are times when Richard comes across as more than a little too saintly. The most honest scene in the movie is one in which his wife, Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis), dresses him down for his narcissism.

King Richard is less a recreation of Richard’s life than a love story between one man and his daughters. Although it’s evident that Richard adores his children, the skeptical viewer might wonder where the line exists between “overbearing despot” and “involved parent.” Some of Richard’s tactics – such as intending to abandon his children three miles from home – border on abusive. There’s also a question about to what extent Venus’ success is (at least for him) about validating his planning and methods. The movie skates around criticisms of Richard’s exploitative nature and barely mentions his history of abandoning children from previous relationships. Venus and Serena’s titanic accomplishments are real and undeniable. The story of their upbringing as related in King Richard is idealized.

As would be expected from a movie about the rise of two young tennis stars (although the focus, given the time period, is much more on the older Venus), there’s plenty of court action. King Richard makes the mistake of becoming a hybrid sports movie during a climactic match. There’s too much fixation on individual points when the important thing is what happens after the bout. There’s no tension because, win or lose, we know who Venus will become. The movie as a whole isn’t about moments but a synthesis of all the factors that enriched the girls’ tennis DNA. Regardless of how much is true, how much has been softened and reshaped to suit the movie’s perspective, and how much is fabricated, the end result is compelling drama with top-notch performances and a feel-good denouement.

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KING RICHARD

"the inspiring american dream".

What You Need To Know:

Miscellaneous Immorality: Some hard scenes related to gangs.

More Detail:

KING RICHARD tells the story of a father who supports his daughters, Venus and Serena, in becoming the greatest tennis players of all time. KING RICHARD is a beautiful, heartfelt, gripping movie and has a strong Christian worldview with a wonderful example of godly parenting, as well as positive messages of Christian faith, virtue and character.

Richard has five girls, two of which, Venus and Serena, are fabulous tennis players. During the day, Richard goes to the best tennis clubs and tries to get the girls a coach who will train them for free. During the afternoon, he trains the girls, and they practice on the public tennis courts in Compton, where they live. At night, Richard goes to work as a security guard in a market.

Day after day, the family does the same routine of practicing tennis, working hard and encouraging each other to become the best they can be. One day, Richard takes Venus and Serena to meet a well-known coach, Coach Paul. Richard convinces Coach Paul to watch Venus and Serena. After watching them, Coach Paul agrees to take on Venus without charge, because he believes she has a bright future in tennis.

Venus starts to compete and win all the games she plays. When her sisters tease the other girl Venus plays, Richard stops them right there and explains that they won’t continue playing tennis if they don’t have humble hearts doing it, even after they win.

When an agent comes to Richard and tries to take on Venus, Richard is protective and doesn’t want Venus competing at such high levels at such a young age. Richard and Brandi, Venus’ mom, want Venus and the other girls to grow up with faith, virtue, Christ like character, and not be burned out at a young age.

Will Venus succeed even with her father not allowing her to compete or get an agent?

KING RICHARD is a beautiful movie. The movie has heartfelt moments that will make audiences cry, and a moment later, the audience will laugh. The movie shows parents who care for their children, instilling God’s purpose in their lives and giving them confidence in their talents. Will Smith does a great job as Richard. He’s a loving father who prays in Jesus’ name, who protects his daughters from men who are trying to tempt them, and who constantly sacrifices for them and his family. Actress Aunjanue Ellis does an incredible job depicting the mother to Venus and Serena, She fights for her daughters every day and openly talks about serving God. Overall, this movie shows what it means to be a great parent and a great person of faith.

KING RICHARD is extremely well made and has a strong Christian, moral, pro-family worldview with positive messages of Christian faith, virtue and character. Viewers will become totally immersed in the story and will find the characters really appealing. However, the movie does have some hard scenes related to gang violence, including a father being beaten for protecting his daughter, and some foul language. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger viewers but encourages older audiences to see KING RICHARD.

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Will smith in ‘king richard’: film review | telluride 2021.

The actor plays the determined father of Venus and Serena Williams in this complicated look at the early life of the two tennis superstars, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.

By Stephen Farber

Stephen Farber

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Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Telluride world premiere, King Richard , is an unusual picture to come from a major studio these days. Although Warner Bros. has made other inspirational sports movies, notably the Sandra Bullock drama The Blind Side , this new movie features nuances and complexities more likely to be found in indie releases. Although it will certainly be sold to emphasize Will Smith ’s Oscar-contending performance, the actor creates a more ambiguous protagonist than we expect to see in what might have been a formulaic story of a Black family’s triumph.

Richard Williams is the father of Venus and Serena Williams, who drove his two daughters to unprecedented success on the tennis court as their monomaniacal coach. If Richard isn’t quite the demonic stage parent that we’ve seen in movies like Gypsy (coincidentally, another Warner Bros. release), he shares some qualities with the obsessive Mama Rose, who poured her own frustrations into the lives of her children. Gypsy ultimately ended on a positive note, and so does this movie, but what intrigues is that it is willing to make us uncomfortable in its portrayal of a man motivated as much by his own disappointments as by love for his children. Zach Baylin’s script honors these nuances.

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Venue: Telluride Film Festival Cast: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney, Tony Goldwyn Director:   Reinaldo Marcus Green Screenwriter:   Zach Baylin

The story focuses on Venus Williams’ early success, with Serena more in the background. And with the two sisters still at the top of their game after almost 30 years in the limelight, the film should hold undeniable fascination for audiences. It is far from a perfect film, but it tantalizes, thanks to the strong subject matter and the sharp characterizations and performances.

We are introduced to Smith’s Richard Williams as a determined, controlling man fighting to achieve recognition for his two young daughters, something he wants for himself as much as for them. Williams talks repeatedly about his own humiliations as a Black man growing up in the South at a time when the Ku Klux Klan remained a threat. Now living with his wife and five daughters in Compton, California, he carries a noticeable chip on his shoulder as he fights to find success for his children. An opening montage of Williams battling the skepticism of the haughty white tennis establishment is rich in humor, but with an undercurrent of sad desperation that is always apparent. Smith does some of his best acting in these early scenes, which mix Richard’s frustration, simmering resentment, and genuine love for his family.

Although Smith’s outstanding performance dominates the film, he is not the whole show. Aunjanue Ellis also shines as the girls’ sensible mother, who has the strength to defy her husband when he gets carried away on his ego trip. Hers is not as flashy a role as Smith’s, but she balances him with understated warmth and wisdom. Jon Bernthal is also excellent as Venus’ savvy coach; he brings humor and a believable mix of exasperation and resignation to his frustrating battles with Williams, which he almost invariably loses. As Venus, Saniyya Sidney plays with grit and tenderness, but she sometimes fades into the background.

The film is smoothly crafted, but it is also repetitive and overlong. It sometimes feels as if it’s replaying Richard’s conflicts with the condescending white tennis establishment. And despite its length, there are elements that are treated in a perfunctory manner, like Richard’s battles with the criminal elements in his Compton community.

The film builds to Venus’ entrée to professional tennis at the age of 14, and her fight for the championship doesn’t end in a formulaic way. (It’s worth remembering that the first Rocky movie ended with Rocky Balboa losing his fight and yet winning on a more profound level.) King Richard adheres to some sports movie formulas, but it’s most memorable when it plays against expectations.

Full credits

Distributor: Warner Bros. Production companies: Star Thrower Entertainment, Westbrook, Keepin' It Real Cast: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Noah Bean, Kevin Dunn, Erika Ringor Director:  Reinaldo Marcus Green Screenwriter:  Zach Baylin Producers:  Tim White, Trevor White, Will Smith Executive producers:  Isha Price, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, Adam Merims, Lynn Harris, Allan Mandelbaum, Jon Mone, Peter Dodd Director of photography: Robert Elswit Production designers:  Wynn Thomas, William Arnold Costume Designer:  Sharon Davis Editor:  Pamela Martin Music:  Kris Bowers Casting:  Rich Delia, Avy Kaufman

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