King Richard

Overview

Dedicated and resolute family man Richard Williams (Will Smith) recognizes the drive and athletic prowess brimming in his two young daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). Inspired to uplift his daughters out of their Compton neighborhood, Richard develops an unorthodox training plan to cultivate the girls' tennis skills and propel them to international recognition as Black female tennis aces. Based on a true story. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. Co-starring Jon Bernthal.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/08/2022
UPC:	0883929708017
Original Release:	2021
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Warner Home Video
Language:	English

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Aunjanue Ellis	Oracene 'Brandy' Williams
Jon Bernthal	Rick Macci
Saniyya Sidney	Venus Williams
Demi Singleton	Serena Williams
Tony Goldwyn	Paul Cohen
Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew	Tunde Price
Daniele Lawson	Isha Price
Layla Crawford	Lyndrea Price
Erika Ringor	Ms. Strickland
Noah Bean	PV CC Tennis Pro,Laird Stabler
Craig Tate	Bells
Josiah Cross	TD
Calvin Clausell Jr.	Homeboy #3
Vaughn W. Hebron	Homeboy #4
Jimmy Walker Jr.	Old Patron
Kevin Dunn	Vic Braden
Brad Greenquist	Bud Collins
Johnno Wilson	Incredulous Pro,Shouting Spectator
Robert Nuscher	Baffled Pro
Christopher Wallinger	John McEnroe
Chase Del Rey	Pete Sampras
Connie Ventress	Tournament Director
Vivienne Bersin	Stacey
Andy Hoff	Stacey's Dad - Trevor
Carrie Gibson	Line Judge
Dylan McDermott	Actor
Erin Cummings	Social Worker
Doug Simpson	Girl #3 Father
Brandon Morales	Deputy #1
Wil Jackson	Deputy #2
Erica Shaffer	Tournament Official
Matt Kirkwood	Tennis Father #2
Judith Chapman	Nancy Reagan
Chet Grissom	Matthew Titone
Alden Sherrill	Another Girl
Eman Esfandi	Barry
Jessica Wacnik	Jennifer Captriati
Jonathan Bray	ESPN Reporter
Robert Walker Jeffery	Reporter
Katrina Begin	Anne (WTA CEO)
Rich Sommer	Patrick Dougherty
Kaitlyn Christian	Shaun Stafford
Geoff Nathanson	Tennis Announcer
Marcela Zacarias	Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
Jake Jensen	Pro Shop Attendant
Chris Pentzell	Another Incredulous Pro
Sophia Sanders	Girl #2
Mia Jovic	Girl #3
Iva Jovic	Girl #5
Michael Baker	Girl #6 Father
Tom Holmes	Girl #6 Father
Kamea Medora	Girl #8
Tom Degnan	Girl #8 Father
Jeff Cohn	Chair Ump - Pro Match
Adam Cropper	Neighbor
Danya LaBelle	Tournament Official Oakland Coliseum
Rod Sweitzer	Pro Match Newspaper Reporter
George Ketsios	Pro Match Tournament Staff
Christian Yeung	Pro Match Line Judge
Teri Cohn	Pro Match Net Judge
Hannah Barefoot	Mother
Mel Fair	Male TV Announcer
Holly Haggerty	Net Cord Linesman
Mary S. Pascoe	Rivera Country Club Waitress
Albert Ton	Chair Ump - Stafford Match
Hailey Winslow	Female TV Announcer
Chris Wolfe	Pro Match TV Reporter
Gunner Wright	AP3
Tory Thompson	Venus Fan
Kristopher Bowers	Composer

Technical Credits

Zach Baylin

Zach Baylin	Screenwriter
Reinaldo Marcus Green	Director
Peter Dodd	Executive Producer
Lynn Harris	Executive Producer
James Lassiter	Executive Producer
Allan Mandelbaum	Executive Producer
Adam Merims	Executive Producer
Jon Mone	Executive Producer
Jada Pinkett Smith	Executive Producer
Isha Price	Executive Producer
Will Smith	Producer
Tim White	Producer,Producer
Rich Delia	Casting
Avy Kaufman	Casting
Richard King	Sound/Sound Designer
Venus Williams	Executive Producer,Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Richard Williams had a plan. In fact, he had 85 pages of plan for his daughters. This is the basis for writer Zach Baylin's King Richard, the story of Venus and Serena Williams' rise to tennis royalty. Detailed direction by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men) turns the script into a solid film that goes beyond the average sports biography. Richard Williams (Will Smith) determines that all of his children, including those he married into, will have a childhood and a future that is better than his own. He raises them under the principles of having fun and having a plan, part of which is ensuring they study hard to leave the depressing environs of Compton, CA behind them. But Richard wants more than just success for his biological children, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). For them, he creates an 85-page plan to succeed and become superstars of the tennis world. Training them with the help of his wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis), Richard teaches them how to be top-tier players. But he also prepares them to have a backup plan and insists they enjoy their childhoods even if it costs them their fame. Baylin and Green work together well, creating a sports biopic that transcends the typical entry. King Richard is more than the story of a rise to fame. It is the story of a family that works together like a well-oiled machine that occasionally skips a gear. Focusing on the people rather than the sport may usher in a refreshing new era of such biographies. Richard Williams is the story's centerpiece, and Smith plays it perfectly. Williams' determination, hopes, fears, and infamous bull-headedness all play out in what might be Smith's best dramatic performance ever. Sidney and Singleton, who throw Williams' philosophy of having fun while you're working into their performances, support him well. Ellis is the perfect foil to Smith's Williams - particularly in one poignant scene where Brandy confronts him on the plan. The locations from Venus and Serena's childhood are carefully recreated, from the depressing storefronts in Compton to the over-the-top tennis camps of the period. Richard's signature minivan is an identical copy of the original. Many of the Williams family had input in the film, adding even more reality to the settings and the characters themselves. King Richard is an exceptionally well-done biography of a famous and sometimes infamous sports parent overseeing the rise of two future superstars. By focusing on his story as well as that of the sisters, audiences get insights that usually remain unexplored. It is genius and perhaps part of Baylin and Green's plan all along.