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The 1A Movie Club Sees ‘King Richard’

Will Smith attends the UK premiere of "King Richard" at Curzon Cinema Mayfair in London, England.
Will Smith attends the UK premiere of "King Richard" at Curzon Cinema Mayfair in London, England.

Most people know the story of Serena and Venus Williams’ success. Few may know the story of their father who was a driving force behind his daughters’ rise to fame.

A new film, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Will Smith, brings that story to the forefront. “King Richard” chronicles the journey of Richard Williams and his wife, Oracene Price, as they shape their two daughters into world champions.

Peter Debruge, Variety’s chief film critic, explains where the true appeal of “King Richard” lies:

Playing spectator to Venus’ success — while Serena readies herself in her sister’s shadow — is hardly the reason to seek out a two-and-a-half-hour biopic, especially when we know the outcome going in. The attraction here is discovering where the family came from, what they overcame and how Richard’s master plan played out in practice. 

Telling a slice of a well-known story can be a challenge. For this month’s movie club, we’ll discuss how well Green and the cast of the film pulled it off.

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5

Haili Blassingame
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