Pretty boring biopic about the early days of tennis stardom for Venus and Serena Williams, focusing on the role their father played in their success.
If you read anything about the real person that Will Smith plays in this movie, you'll quickly understand how whitewashed it all is to make it more palatable and Oscar-baity. Well it worked, because lo and behold, here is "King Richard" among this year's slate of Best Picture nominees. Oh and look, there's Will Smith's name among the movie's producers. No wonder the character was whitewashed.
This hits every single mark you would expect it to, without a surprise or unpredictable moment within miles. The film's brightest spot is Aunjanue Ellis, as Smith's wife and mother to the Williams sisters. Every cookie cutter biopic about an overbearing, obsessive male must include a partner who suffers nobly and acts as the film's conscience, and Ellis gets that dubious job here. But she does quite well with it, and the movie sparkled a little bit more every time she was on the screen.
Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal also stand out as two of the sisters' coaches.
Grade: B.
If you read anything about the real person that Will Smith plays in this movie, you'll quickly understand how whitewashed it all is to make it more palatable and Oscar-baity. Well it worked, because lo and behold, here is "King Richard" among this year's slate of Best Picture nominees. Oh and look, there's Will Smith's name among the movie's producers. No wonder the character was whitewashed.
This hits every single mark you would expect it to, without a surprise or unpredictable moment within miles. The film's brightest spot is Aunjanue Ellis, as Smith's wife and mother to the Williams sisters. Every cookie cutter biopic about an overbearing, obsessive male must include a partner who suffers nobly and acts as the film's conscience, and Ellis gets that dubious job here. But she does quite well with it, and the movie sparkled a little bit more every time she was on the screen.
Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal also stand out as two of the sisters' coaches.
Grade: B.