Will Smith as Richard Williams.
It's been a long time since I was a cinema person. We used to go a lot as teenagers as it was something to do on a friday night but then we discovered limewire, piratebay, P2P downloads, netflix and massive tv's at home that made trips to the cinema slightly redundant.
Since the pandemic closed a lot of activities we have actually started going again for a night out. It's nice to walk in and hit that smell of fresh popcorn, the drinks always taste nicer out of those fancy machines and throw in a few treats and i'm sold. Plus I get to have a few pints before and after the movie which is always a win in my books. It makes it feel like more of a night out if you add a few drinks into the equation.
This time we went to see Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, tennis superstars. We looked at the listings as usual and had a few options. We both love Will Smith and i prefer sports based movies while my girlfriends likes true stories so this one fit the bill nicely. It had the ratings to match so decision made.
From IMBD:
A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams.
The movie itself focuses on the early stages of the Williams sisters journey to stardom. It gives a big insight into their family life, background, motivation and especially their relationship with their father.
It's very interesting to see how it all happened and surprisingly the movie kept the focus on the father more than the sisters themselves. They were obviously the main three characters for the movie which had a long run of two hours twenty but you know it's a good watch when the time flew by. It wasn't fast paced or full of action form the tennis world but the characters were brilliant and the storyline compelling.
Will Smith was brilliant in the role of the eccentric and overbearing father. It was a different role than anything that i had seen him in previously but he nailed it. even when you see the matching clips at the end of the movie it's a great depiction.
The two girls came form a tough area and a tough family life. Not in a bad way but in a very strict environment. You can see where that winning mentality comes from throughout the movie and the in game sequences are good to watch.
My biggest flaw with the movie is that it doesn't show any of their career but stops after Venus turns pro while it could do with more tennis play in the script. I love sports movies for the action of them more than the storyline. This is a small complaint however as i really enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anybody that has an interest.
Solid 9/10 from me.