According to family legend, in 1978 Richard Williams learned that French Open champion Virginia Ruzici received $40,000 for winning the tournament, more than she earned in a year. From this news, a long-term plan grew in his mind: He needed two girls to raise champions. Serena and Venus Williams (Demi Singleton and Saniya Sydney) have been holding the racket since they were three years old and have grown up under their father’s constant motivational slogans: he told them they’d get millions, they’d be talked about all over the world. “Richard Williams will never respect anyone, but you will be respected by all.” Today, the sports achievements of the sisters, the most famous tennis players of our time, are often considered the merit of their father, who later learned to play tennis to teach his daughters and was with everyone. The pros and cons (to be fair, there are more pros) are illustrated in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard.”
In the Oscar race, the film was presented simultaneously in six categories, including a contender for “Best Picture”, but if “The King” did not receive the laureate title in this nomination, the acting received an “Oscar”. (Will Smith) rightly so. I have to say that he really did a great job with his role: Richard Williams, in his performance, keeps the audience’s attention on himself during his two and a half hour run and makes you hate, sympathize, even admire. questionable training methods. And they really raise questions: According to the same legend, the father of future champions drew up a 78-page plan even before their birth and immediately followed it. The best coaches in the world could not argue with her, she did not care about the weather outside the window (girls even training in the rain), public opinion, even the desires of her daughters. Richard Williams was absolutely sure of success, and that was enough to raise tennis stars, although the glory of a brawler in the 1990s depended on him. Whether he’s a cruel father with his usual overprotective demeanor or an outstanding coach, his plan has finally worked, and today Venus Williams is a five-time Wimbledon champion and the world’s first black racquet, and Serena Williams is a 23-time Grand Helmet winner of various tournaments,” and one of the greatest champions of all world sport. one of the great women.
“King Richard” doesn’t look like a classic sports drama – it’s more like a movie about its mix and “fathers and sons” issues. Who knows what future awaits current champions if they were not born into the family of Richard Williams: he taught them tennis literally from the cradle and, in fact, decided for them all their childhood. So, for example, when you bring them to the first professional coach, “I understand what your father wants, but what do you want yourself?” says. Pretty rhetorical question for girls who were almost born with a racket in their hands. However, their father insists that tennis is not the whole life, so he is no less responsible for educating the children and ensuring they have a normal teenage life. But what if a trip to Disney World spoils the training? Better than winning the burnout that Richard Williams fears as hell. Yes, although from the very beginning he treats his girls like a long-term large-scale project, he truly loves them and tries to give them the best, although sometimes he does not see the line.
In “King Richard” it turns out brighter than the line of family relations, perhaps only social: the 1980s are in the courtyard, and racism is becoming a serious obstacle to the goal. At the very least, it should be understood that tennis was originally considered a sport of wealthy whites, so Williams trains on cheap public courts with old rackets (even in childhood, Serena and Venus were immediately given away by adults, because there was nothing money for children) and worn uniforms. The pay of top-notch coaches was even more out of the question – they live on the slums of Compton, mom works all day, and dad goes on infantry duty after daytime training. Richard Williams constantly tells his daughters that they represent all black girls, tells them stories about being beaten from childhood, and himself several times becomes a “whip bag” for local hooligans (also African Americans, by the way). His life was filled with pressures from the very beginning and he probably knows that the same thing awaits his children, so with fanaticism and madness he raises true warriors from them, promising mountains of gold and teaching him not to do it. settle for less.
Overall, in terms of the authenticity of the events, “King Richard” is well done: the direct quoting of costumes and details from archival footage is striking, and the fact that the sisters themselves produced the film is featured in the film. After seeing the results, he gave permission for the tape to be released and moved on. With this approach, King could even be classified as a documentary, though some key facts still remain silent here: for example, Richard Williams moved his family to particularly disadvantaged Compton to accustom the children to endless handling, and it was later suspected that he beat his wife in the late 1990s. and as a result three of his ribs were broken.
But the inconsistency in Will Smith’s character is sufficient even without it, and the film is not intended to be autobiographical. The writers do not accuse anyone of anything, they do not cause an attack on audience motivation, they rather state the facts, giving the audience the opportunity to decide for themselves. This is a story of well-crafted success, overcoming, and a father’s insane faith in his daughters. As it turned out later, it is not unfounded.
Source: People Talk
