Sisters Venus and Serena Williams are two of the greatest athletes in history, so call me skeptical when I first heard about King Richard, a biopic focusing on their father Richard Williams. And as someone who simply doesn’t care for sports, I was ignorant of Richard's impact on his children’s career and tennis itself. Online critics are already pointing out this apparent act of sexism, despite the fact that the Williams Sisters are executive producers on the project. Having seen the film for myself, believe me when I say King Richard more than justifies its existence.

The film stars Will Smith as Richard, a caring and dedicated father to five kids that he shares with his wife, Oracene Price (Aunjanue Ellis). She works double shifts as a nurse while he spends his days and nights coaching their youngest daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), the game of tennis. No, Richard isn’t a professional tennis player. He probably hasn’t even played an actual game before. Everything he learned has been from watching tapes and reading books. But he’s training his daughters because it’s all part of the 78-page master plan he’s crafted since before their birth, determined to make them the greatest tennis players of all time. This was a seemingly impossible feat considering the fact that tennis is a predominantly white and elitist sport, whereas Richard is Black man born poor in Shreveport, Louisiana, where his time was spent escaping the wrath of the KKK. 

We all know how this story ends. Venus and Serena have collectively earned over “1,600 singles wins, 122 singles titles, and 30 Grand Slam singles wins.” But that’s what makes this film so enjoyable. We have enough films and television shows depicting Black pain and trauma. Hell, the world consistently reminds us how much left we have to go for racial equality. There’s something magical about seeing a Black family work their way from dream to reality, against all odds.

King Richard follows the familiar beats of an underdog sports drama or biopic, but its strength lies in the incredible performances from the entire cast. Will Smith isn’t always the best at playing dramatic, but I think his performance as the passionate, yet overbearing father, coach, mentor, husband—and his physicality, with his hunch and slight lisp—deserves awards consideration. 

While the first half of the film is mostly dedicated to Richard, the second half graciously gives more agency to Oracene and Venus. Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us) is Oscar-worthy as a woman who doesn’t simply sit by the sidelines, but is an equal partner in shaping the lives of her children. She, too, coaches the girls, and some of their best techniques come from her, not Richard. Saniyya Sidney (Fences) is a joy to behold as Venus, playing the role so earnestly you can’t help but love her. And both characters, as much as they appreciate Richard, are also willing to challenge him when they disagree with his methods.

Newcomer Demi Singleton surprisingly doesn’t get as much focus as Serena but, like Sidney, she’s enchanting whenever she is on screen. Also noteworthy are Tony Goldwyn (Scandal) and Jon Bernthal (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Paul Cohen and Rick Macci, respectively, two professional coaches who separately take a chance on the Williams Sisters. Bernthal is especially memorable as a coach who wants the girls to succeed, but butts heads with Richard’s unconventional approach.

Most of the “controversy” surrounding King Richard has been on the film’s focus on Venus and Serena’s father instead of the tennis stars themselves, but I’d say the biggest risk was making a feel-good story about a guy who, in real life, was actually kind of a bum. 

Depending on how you look at it, Richard’s methodical approach to his children’s success can be read as inspirational, or horrific. Richard once admitted he basically forced Venus and Serena into existence by hiding his wife’s birth control pills when Oracene didn’t want anymore kids.

This was a man who was first married to another woman, Betty Johnson, and had five kids with her before abandoning them and starting a new family with Oracene, leaving his ex-wife and kids in poverty. “He’s not a dad, he was just a sperm donor,” said Sabrina Williams, Venus and Serena’s half-sister. “[Betty] needed some medication for the cancer, and it was too expensive for her to pay it,” she added. “I reached out to my dad, but I couldn’t get a hold of him. He had no interest whether she was dead or alive.”

This is also a man who, after eventually divorcing Oracene in 2002, married a woman only one year older than Venus. Yikes.

But, despite all of this, I am convinced King Richard is an accurate portrayal of the kind of father Richard was to Venus and Serena (the two wouldn’t agree to attach their names to the film until they saw the final product). I can’t remember where I first saw this, probably on Tumblr (lol), but it was the idea that people who treated you poorly might move onto becoming good people in their new lives. It doesn’t mean you have to forgive them, or that they don’t deserve to be held to account. But real life is messy, and sometimes it’s true that someone who broke your heart can also be nothing but loving and supportive to someone else. So, yes, Richard Williams might be a bastard in real life, but it might also be true he was a good father to Venus and Serena. This film is their truth.

As directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men) and written by Zach Baylin, King Richard works as the intended crowd-pleaser. There are parts where you can imagine a better, more interesting film that grapples more with its racial politics, or with who Richard is as a person. There is a passing reference to the Rodney King beating and a distracting depiction of gang violence. Richard tells his kids about what life was like for him growing up, like being beaten for accidentally touching a white cashier when handing him cash for a purchase. What was it like for the other kids to see their father so focused on just Venus and Serena? Was it borderline abusive of him to have his kids train in the rain? To my surprise, the film does at least feature a scene between Richard and Oracene where she addresses the family he left behind, but it’s too fleeting. This isn’t a film that’s interested in depicting the messy complications that is Richard Williams’s life. This is a glorifying tribute to a man Venus and Serena know and love. And considering the racist treatment he has endured from the media over the last three decades, it’s not an unfair ask to see a touching story of Black fatherhood.

Three and a half out of four Kents.

‘King Richard’ is now playing in theatres and exclusively streaming on HBO Max until December 19, 2021.