I am so grateful to my sister for urging me to see KING RICHARD. The Oscar nominations come out very early tomorrow morning. If Will Smith gets an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, it will be a well-deserved nomination. (Also, the Academy adores biopic performances. From Spencer Tracy in BOY'S TOWN and Luise Rainer in THE GREAT ZIEGFELD in the 1930s to Raimi Malek as Freddie Mercury in 2018's BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland in 2019's JUDY, look at how many actors won their Oscars for biopic performances.)
Richard is the devoted, benevolently forceful father of a large family in South Central Los Angeles. He's a loving, supportive man with a loving, supportive wife. The married couple has more girls than bedrooms in the house, so the daughters share rooms. About the daughters, they are a most lovable, polite, talented group of kids. This is a good family. My sister and I grew up very near Compton in South Central Los Angeles. Our family spent a lot of time in Compton. It was such a joy to see a Compton family presented in such a positive, warm light on the big screen. That family was like people we knew, people we had as neighbors.
Richard, who probably did not receive as much a scholastic education as his daughters are getting, pushes his young tennis phenom daughters to be champions on the tennis court. Venus and Serena never complain about his pushing and never resent it because they are seriously in it for the love of the game. They want to be over-achievers on the court. Richard is their coach, their promoter and their chauffeur. He's determined to get them an upscale coach, a chance to practice on upscale courts and the chance to move up from Compton. He gets them to their practice sessions in Compton and endures being beaten up by teen hoods because of his commitment to his daughters. A nosy neighbor will accuse him of over-working the girls.
His iron-fist commitment to his girls does make you wonder if it's generated by some lack he feels in his life. Some fear of being denied equal rights as he and his family strive to make history. He teaches his girls that it's not about the money and glory. He stresses humility and patience. He even uses Disney's animated classic, CINDERELLA, as a teaching tool for family viewing night. Richard is a good, complicated man. A man who may have to learn to step aside to let more professional coaches teach his daughters what they need to know to make the major league. Richard is a man who grew up being taught to step aside and be a second-class citizen.
Will Smith, with his different physicality vocal pattern, delivers one of the best and most moving performances of his career in this fine film. Here's a trailer.
Ultimately, KING RICHARD shows us the power of having a loving and supportive family, one that recognizes and respects your individual gifts. One that takes your dream and makes it bigger.
I would also love to see a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination go to Aunjanue Ellis for her smart, tender and tough performance as Richard's wife. The scene in the kitchen where she tells Richard he's been wrong about a few things and reminds him that she's been co-coach to Venus and Serena is memorable. I got as much excitement watching her performance as I've had watching Venus and Serena Williams on the tennis courts on network TV. Very fine work also comes from Tony Goldwyn as Los Angeles coach Paul Cohen and Jon Bernthal as Florida coach Rick Macci.
KING RICHARD runs 2 hours, 24 minutes. It's the quality of film our Rivers Family back in South Central L.A. would've gone to the Compton Drive-In to see for a family night at the movies.
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