Movie · 2021 · Drama, History · 2h 24m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 6.6/10 (530.6K ratings)
Venus, Serena and a plan for greatness.
Overview
The story of how Richard Williams served as a coach to his daughters Venus and Serena, who will soon become two of the most legendary tennis players in history.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.6/10
IMDb: 7.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.71/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Metacritic: 76
TMDB: 7.6/10
Director
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Production
Star Thrower Entertainment, Westbrook, Warner Bros. Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment
Cast
Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Jon Bernthal, Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, Tony Goldwyn, Susie Abromeit, Dylan McDermott, Judith Chapman, Erin Cummings, Katrina Begin, Andy Bean, Kevin Dunn, Craig Tate, Calvin Clausell Jr., Daniele Lawson, Layla Crawford, Erika Ringor, Noah Bean
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished, emotionally effective sports biopic that works best as a family drama about sacrifice, ambition, and the making of champions. It’s especially strong when it centers Venus and Serena’s emergence and the pressure, discipline, and love surrounding them.
Best for
sports biopic fans
viewers who like inspirational true stories
family drama audiences
fans of underdog-to-legend narratives
people interested in tennis history
Skip if
you want a strictly athlete-centered movie with no parent focus
you dislike inspirational biopic structure
you’re looking for a gritty or morally ambiguous sports film
you prefer understated, non-uplifting dramas
Overview
King Richard is a crowd-pleasing sports drama with real emotional lift, built around the extraordinary rise of Venus and Serena Williams and the stubborn, often abrasive determination behind it. The film understands the scale of the achievement and gives the sisters’ talent and composure real weight, even when it leans into familiar biopic beats.
Worth noting
Its biggest strength is the family dynamic: the movie is as much about parenting, protection, and pressure as it is about tennis. That focus gives it warmth and tension, though it can also make the title character feel more central than the athletes whose legacy the story is really celebrating.
Bottom line
The performances and the period detail help it land as a satisfying mainstream drama, and the film’s emotional peaks are effective without feeling cheap. It’s not the most nuanced sports movie, but it is a well-made, sincere one with genuine inspiration and a strong sense of place and purpose.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jay (2.5★) · 3922 likes
gotta keep an eye out for serena
David Sims (3★) · 3239 likes
pretty great once it becomes a Venus Williams movie
CinemaVoid 🏴☠️ (2.5★) · 2830 likes
Thank you Hollywood for reminding me that behind every successful child there’s an abusive parent.
demi adejuyigbe · 2555 likes
wow, i cried though soooo much of this. i have not (consciously) lived in a world without venus and serena as legends, so it’s always been kind of lost to me just how much of a breakthrough they were in the tennis world. until watching this i also didn’t really realize i had never seen a sports movie about black girls. the realization came to me over and over as i watched this and i started crying every time, which… more wow, i cried though soooo much of this. i have not (consciously) lived in a world without venus and serena as legends, so it’s always been kind of lost to me just how much of a breakthrough they were in the tennis world. until watching this i also didn’t really realize i had never seen a sports movie about black girls. the realization came to me over and over as i watched this and i started crying every time, which… more
•°▪︎James▪︎°• · 2474 likes
A film where Jon Bernthal plays a genuinely nice guy? I never thought I'd see the day
2010 · Drama · 1h 56m · R · Curator 7.6/10 (688.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A gritty family sports drama where love, loyalty, and dysfunction are tightly intertwined.