King Richard

 

             Will Smith, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton in “King Richard.” Warner Bros. image via IMDB

After doing everything almost else in entertainment – breakout TV star, Grammy-winning rapper, comedy superstar, most popular action hero in the world – smart money is betting Will Smith will finally add Academy Award winner to the list this year.

Lucky for audiences, his performance as “King Richard” (not to be confused with any Shakespearean or other classical contenders in this year's Oscar race) comes wrapped in what would be a wonderfully entertaining feel-good movie even without him.

Like a feminist answer to “Rocky” – with two underdog heroes instead of one – it has the added distinction of coming straight outa Compton. And being a true story. It tells of two girls in their early teens before they became the phenomenal sister act that would revolutionize the sport of tennis forevermore – Venus and Serena Williams.

Smith plays Richard Williams, their dad.

He was the guy with the plan for them to become exactly what they went on to become. He conceived the plan before his wife Oracene “Brandy” Williams (superbly played by Aunjanue Ellis) even conceived the girls. What a concept – a female black superstar, much less two of them, was unheard of in the sunny world of tennis whites.

In fact, there are five Williams sisters, whose education is the top priority for their stubborn, outspoken but lovable dad, intent on providing something better for them than his own childhood facing bigotry and beatings in Louisiana. Richard works the night shift as a security guard in a storage unit complex. By day he transports the girls to the tennis courts in the 'hood in the family's old-school VW bus, expecting answers of “Yes, daddy” in unison from the backseat whenever he grills them or offers them advice.

Luckily the answers always come with cheerful smiles and feisty spirit from the all daughters, led by Saniyya Sidney as Venus and Demi Singleton as Serena.

Besides his capacity for endless practice on the court, Richard is a relentless hustler on his daughters' behalf. He creates brochures and videos that he foists on one potential supporter after another. Despite his personal past struggles and the racial realities of the time – the Rodney King beating is on the family TV in the background in one scene – Richard navigates the tennis club corridors of white privilege with a certain bravado. 

His wife Brandy, an athlete in her own right, complements the training he's giving on the courts with her own lessons to her daughters in becoming smart, powerful black women … like the world has never seen before.

For all his bluster, Richard turns out to be an excellent coach. That, plus the girls' innate awesomeness on the court, plus the plan and Richard's refusal to take no for an answer, bring them to the attention of top coaches who guide their next steps. First there's Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), one of L.A.'s best. He only takes Venus, since he's doing it pro bono. So Richard tapes the lessons, which Mom then imparts to younger sister Serena.

Venus Williams provides easy clay to mold for the coach. Her dad, not so much. Hilarious banter ensues when Richard keeps insisting on correcting Paul Cohen's coaching strategy, beginning with Richard's mantra, “Open stance … open stance.”

Cheerful Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal), who produced Jennifer Capriati, agrees to take over the mentorship after seeing video of young Venus in action. This necessitates a family move cross-country to Macci's Florida tennis club, essentially Mecca for young players with serious aspirations. Once again, the coach's authority gets put to the test by Venus' daddy.

Knowing how the story is going to end doesn't drain energy or enthusiasm from Reinaldo Marcus Green's breezy direction. With all the cast members showing good moves on the court, Green finds the right balance between action, comedy and deeper emotions. He also makes good use of sports movies' greatest hidden weapon: the music. (Without the theme song, after all, Rocky would have just been a lucky Philadelphia butcher.)

As much as a well-thought-out strategy, Richard's plan is a game of high-stakes poker. The most dramatic scene comes not on the court but in the kitchen, where his wife calls him out, and reminds him where the girls' real strength comes from. Their power is their own, ultimately eclipsing the “make it up as you go along” bluff familiar to millions of men besides Richard.

Smith's willingness to lay bare so many facets of this complicated character is one of the joys of watching “King Richard.” So are its understated, wise observations about race and gender that remind us how far our society has come, thanks in no small part to the Williams sisters themselves.

In a postscript, I read that when Warner Bros. elected to release “King Richard” on HBO Max simultaneously with its theatrical release, Will Smith got out his own checkbook to pay the other cast members the difference of what they would lose in lost ticket sales.

The feel-good part of this movie doesn't end when the final credits roll.

All hail the king … and especially the queens!