King Richard (2021)

 Will Smith is brilliant as Richard Williams, both the hero and villain of the story.

Growing up in the segregated south, abandoned by his own father, he's determined to give his daughters everything in life, but he also wants his daughters to succeed so he can prove to the world that Richard Williams matters. Still, his methods are bizarre, at best. Still, life isn't easy in Compton and he has to deal with men leering at his daughters and god forbid, he tries to defend their honor, he gets beaten up in return. And while he values education above all, he doesn't listen to the advise of the experts who have a proven track record of success, but still, life is hard and Richard isn't the most consistent, making important decisions with the input of his wife, Oracene (the brilliant Aunjanue Ellis), which is unacceptable. However, we all know how his unconventional methods managed to prove successful, and even after Venus (Saniyya Sidney) loses a tough match to the one number ranked opponent in the world, she's still a success and signs a great deal, giving herself and her family more money than they could have ever dreamed. And they make a difference in the community, which also matters.

Now, while we know the end result, the film was great, with solid performances especially from Smith and Ellis, each delivering work worthy of at least an Oscar nomination, and it was great how the film handled the leap in time, making everything as realistic as possible and doing so during a pandemic is no small feat and Beyonce's song over the end credits is a stroke of genius. This film is utterly great, from top to bottom and one I'd consider a must-watch. I'm glad I got HBOMax just for this viewing. Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-That shooting scene toward the beginning of the film, was Richard responsible for that man's death or was it the result of a drive-by shooting?

-Pay attention to Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal in small roles as the girls' coaches.

-It is bizarre that Nike's original deal was a one night only deal, especially before Venus hit a single ball on the court.

-Richard picked tennis just because not many African Americans were playing it. Venus and Serena paved the way for so many.

-I understand why Richard values education and wants his kids to be kids as they will not get their childhood back, but at the same time, he needs to the listen to the advice of others as they've done this before and know what they're doing.