King Richard: Amazing True Story (HBO Max)

If you are a tennis fan and have followed the careers of the Williams sisters over the years, you will probably "love" this movie.  Even if you are not a tennis fan, however, this film is an interesting biopic about how Richard Williams turned his daughters into two of the greatest tennis players that ever lived, against incredible odds. Richard Williams (Will Smith) and his wife, Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis), live in the primarily Black community of Compton, CA.  Richard works the night shift as a security guard and Oracene is a nurse.  They have other children to support in addition to Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton).  Richard and Oracene are great athletes, and they think Venus and Serena have elite athletic genes.  They decide to teach Venus and Serena tennis – at a time when this sport was only for wealthy white people. Richard is far from perfect.  (I think LaVar Ball – Lonzo's father – may have modeled himself after him.)  Richard is stubborn, volatile, provocative, arrogant, and closed to input.  (I think it would be fair to say that he is rather "high strung.")  Nevertheless, he achieved his lofty goals for Venus and Serena, and the film skillfully reveals what an amazing accomplishment that was. For example, Richard couldn't get an elite tennis coach to take them to the next level.  Vic Braden told Richard, "You're asking me to believe that you've got two Mozarts in the same family!"  Richard refused to keep Venus on the Junior tennis circuit – almost a sure way to failure – because he wanted his daughters to have as highly educated, well-rounded life as possible.  Richard, as powerful a force as he was, almost certainly would have gone "off the rails" if not but for his down-to-earth wife, who was able to more than hold her own with him. Venus is a Hall of Fame tennis player with numerous Grand Slam titles and Serena is probably the greatest tennis player that ever lived!  They never would have reached the pinnacle of tennis without King Richard.