Taking a unique perspective on a well-known story, “King Richard” beautifully encapsulates the hardships and hard work of the Williams Family.

Starring Will Smith (Richard Williams), Aunjanue Ellis (Brandi Williams), Demi Singleton (Serena Williams) and Saniyya Sidney (Venus Williams), “King Richard” is a film about Richard Williams and his coaching of the Williams sisters into tennis stardom. 

Perseverance, dedication, determination, heart, courage, wit, hard work and a lack of conformity are just some of the values presented in this stunning biopic. 

Beginning in 80s Compton, the tough background in which the Williams sisters were raised was really exemplified. There were scenes of crimes, shootings and gang violence that even personally affected members of their family. Despite these setbacks though, they were able to rise above it and penetrate into some of the most exclusive areas of tennis. 

In this film, while the Williams sisters are an incredibly large part, the main focus of it was on Richard Williams, their father. Richard was incredibly dedicated to raising the girls. He worked two full-time jobs and toiled endlessly to help his daughters reach their full potential. He made amazingly bold moves and was obviously prepared to do some things that many of us cannot imagine doing ourselves. 

His role captured a parent’s love for their child. While some watching may have found him to be idiotic or perhaps just downright frustrating, it can be plainly seen that many of the actions he took were to protect his children and try to better the lives of his family. He never let fame and glory change who his children were. At times I disagreed with what Richard was doing, but if this movie taught me anything, it’s that an outsider can never understand the parent’s love for their child and how they choose to protect them from threats which myself or other professionals may feel are negligible.

The movie did end in the middle of the journey of the William’s sisters, not even encompassing much, if any, of what Serena Williams would go on to do. To many, this may seem to be sloppy storytelling, but I believe that it shows great awareness of the subject. Richard Williams’ largest role in the lives of his children was told, the movie inevitably had to be about some of the success the Williams’ sisters had, but that success was not part of this story. 

“King Richard” has something for everyone: it has action, anguish, power, beating the odds, skill, talent, conflict and above all, love. This is a great movie to watch by yourself or be surrounded by friends and loved ones.