IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched in the cinema (16th visit in 2022)
It's a success story straight out of a storybook: two young sisters have made it to the top of the fiercely competitive tennis world together and dominated the field there for several years. With a lot of talent, a lot of hard work and the extensive support of their parents, Serena and Venus Williams achieved the almost impossible: as African-Americans, they were able to assert themselves from a disadvantaged position in a field that had previously been reserved for a white, privileged upper class. The sports biopic "King Richard," which was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in the U.S. but received a theatrical-only release here in Germany, deals with the career breakthrough of the two girls, who were still young at the time, but focuses not on them but on their father Richard Williams, who even before they were born drew up an approximately 85-page master plan for their future, which would eventually become reality.
Richard is a man who always pushed his daughters to the limit and wasted no time in pursuing his vision. From a young age, both daughters had to train hard on the tennis court and at the same time were driven to excel with their school performance as well. The film shows us this as well, but takes a largely uncritical position. Not every one of his decisions has to be approved of, but it is clear that as a loving father he probably only had the best in mind for them. No pain, no gain. Learning how the two girls coped with the pressure would certainly have been an interesting angle as well, but so be it. Instead, the film shows us the road to fame as a feel-good story that quickly earns a place in the hearts of its viewers because of the success it actually achieves. This may be a bit superficial, but admittedly feels really good and inspiring at all times.
There has been some controversy surrounding the father in the past, which could have been taken up thematically, of course. But what of it from the tabloids is really true? For outsiders, all this is difficult to judge. But since Serena and Venus were involved in the project themselves as producers, and their sister Isha Price was also on location for almost the entire shoot to ensure as much authenticity as possible in an advisory capacity, I can at least assume that the film comes pretty close to the Williams family's point of view. For a biopic, that's basically not bad.
Where the journey for the two tennis stars ultimately goes should certainly be known to most viewers. But that doesn't mean that "King Richard" loses any of its fascination or entertainment value. It is a gripping success story that can give courage and strength in the pursuit of one's own goals and is consistently fun to watch due to its relaxed nature. The 90s look also turns out highly coherent and underlines the high-quality production. At the same time, it's an incredible pleasure to watch the great cast at work. First and foremost, Will Smith delivers possibly the best performance of his career here, picking up language and facial expressions from his role model in an impressive way. Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney also do a great job as young actresses, leaving nothing to be desired in both tennis (they had to learn it completely!) and character acting. Other highlights include Aunjanue Ellis and Jon Bernthal, who impressively complete the ensemble.
If you liked "King Richard", i would recommend the Indian movie "Dangal" with Aamir Khan to you. It's basically the same story, but with wrestling and much more relentless when it comes to the education of the girls. Not as likable as this crowd pleaser, but also a fascinating piece of film. And it's only 15 minutes longer than this even without the typical dance numbers 😉. It's on Netflix Germany (for all VPN users).
