By Deon C. Jefferson
Hollywood has made it clear that biopics perform well at the box office. In recent years, we’ve seen biopics about Judy Garland, Elton John, Billie Holliday, and Aretha Franklin. Hollywood also loves to release biopics of famous singers or entertainers. This November, Richard Williams will get the pleasure of having his life captured on the big screen. Williams is the father of legendary tennis phenomenon’s Venus and Serena Williams. Academy Award Nominee Will Smith will tackle the starring role. Top critics are already raving about the movie.
“King Richard is perfectly timed; his performance is a sterling reminder of Smith’s singular charge, seizing upon a mighty challenge with thrilling recommitment,” says Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair.
Based on the true emotional story that will inspire the world, “King Richard” chronicles the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time. Thanks to the dedication of their father, the two ladies ended up changing tennis forever. Motivated by a clear vision of their future and using unconventional methods, Richard has a plan that will take Venus and Serena Williams from the mean streets of Compton, California to the global stage as legendary icons. According to a review on Rotten Tomatoes, “King Richard” is a deeply moving film that shows the power of family, perseverance, and unwavering belief to achieve the impossible and impact the world.
“Green orchestrates these various elements into a symphony that’s a tribute to hard-working parents, however difficult they may be, and to showing the origin story that begins a generation before our heroes became famous,” said Monica Castillo from TheWrap.
Venus and Serena have been making noise in sports and Hollywood since the early nineties. In 2005, Venus was named as the best tennis player in the past 25 years by Tennis Magazine. She was also named as the eighth greatest player of all time by Newsday Magazine in September of 2020. Little sister Serena has been recognized by The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Decade in 2019. In May of 2020, the Tennis Channel ranked her as the Greatest Female Tennis Player of All Time. Both sisters have also ventured into fashion and business. Their influence has awarded them the opportunity to sign book deals, endorsement deals, and make cameo appearances in music videos and feature films.
Will Smith’s career and talents have been on full display since his debut in the eighties. Smith is one of the only entertainers in Hollywood that has been able to mutli-task, and do it well. Entertainers like Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, Iced Tea, and Snoop Dogg are good examples, but nobody takes the lead like Will Smith. His influence in hip hop should not go unnoticed either. He is the first rapper to win the Grammy Award for “Best Rap Performance” in 1989. Throughout his career, he has won a total of four Grammy’s and has released four top selling albums.
As of 2014, 17 of the 21 films in which he had starring roles have generated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million each, with five taking in over $500 million each in global box office receipts. Although Smith has appeared in several blockbuster films, he has never been awarded the highest prize for acting. The Academy Award. He has been nominated twice. Once for “Ali” in 2001, and also for “The Pursuit of Happiness” in 2006. This year marks the 20th year since was first nominated. He lost to Denzel Washington. The film premiered this week at several film festivals.
“Monsters and Men” director Reinaldo Marcus Green serves as the director of the film. According to a review from Variety Magazine, “King Richard” is a good old-fashioned Horatio Alger story for our time, detailing how a Black kid who grew up “running from the Klan” in Shreveport, La., set his mind to a goal and made it happen. He may have raised his five daughters in Compton — “ghetto Cinderellas,” in the character’s words — but through hard work and dedication, they achieved the American dream”.
The film opens nationwide in November. Not only is Smith being talked about for a shoe-in for Oscar buzz, there is another celebrity that could earn Oscar buzz as well, its Beyonce. It has been reported that Queen Bee wrote the original song for the film. She co-wrote the song “Be Alive” with DIXSON. Although it’s pretty early to talk about Oscar buzz, let’s just hope our people show up for this biopic. “Our” people did not really show up for the “Respect” biopic.
Be the first to comment