DIRECTOR: Reinaldo Marcus-Green
PRODUCERS: Tim White & Trevor White & Will Smith
WRITER: Zach Balin
PERFORMERS: Will Smith Aunjuane Allis Saniyya Sidney Demi Singleton Tony Goldwyn
Jon Berthnal Dylan McDermott
Growing up, I was familiar with Serena Williams and her professionalism as a tennis athlete. What I wasn't familiar with was her family history and background. Who she was before tennis, where she came from or what her family was like? There were many families who rose from nothing to some of the greatest acts in history such as The Jacksons from Gary, Indiana or The Wayans family from New York and then there's this family: The Williams Family... in perhaps the most realistic biopic I've seen since Straight Outta Compton (2015).
Will Smith gives the most amazing performance as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams who trains his daughters to become future tennis stars in the world of sports and he does it so realistically that you forget it's Will Smith himself. Smith doesn't play himself as were used to seeing him do here, instead you see a man striving to make his two girls better despite their living situation. His accent he uses in the film is dead on and very engaging. This is a guy who made a blueprint for greatness and in the process, would change history forever, except Venus and Serena would be the ones to do the rest while Richard would watch with complete satisfaction. It's as if the story of Jeremiah was used to make this film work, 'I have a plan for you and it's going to bring you greatness and show this world something it has never seen before!' (JEREMIAH 29:11). Between Venus and Serena, the two young actresses who capture them on screen is just flawless, especially young Saniyya Sidney (who plays Venus). I remember seeing her debut in the 2016 adaptation of Fences and although her screen time was short, you could tell this girl was destined for success and look how far she's come ever since! The actress who played Serena also did well, I just wish she could have gotten the screen time equal to Sidney's considering this was about them and their rise to being the best tennis players ever.
As far as the story, I must admit I was expecting to see Serena unfold her talents as she went along, but with Venus as the main focus when it came to matches and tennis competitions it threw me off-guard a bit. But as the film went on, I got used to it and Venus' story really grew on me. I mainly wanted to see Serena's story unfold while her sister was doing her thing and the only scene, I think of that made that happen was when she was competing in a separate match. My excitement for her almost got diminished when Smith's Richard found out and I got scared he was going to berate her for it but let her off the hook anyway because of the mother's support. Then there was Venus training for the biggest competition of her life and her father's hesitance to allow her to compete. It was almost like 'The Little Mermaid' all over again except you weren't under the sea listening to a father and youngest daughter quarrel over different perspectives when it came to adulthood. You only saw a father doing what he could to protect her from anything potentially harmful, but eventually having to step down and let nature take the course without straying from it (PROVERBS 22:6 NLT). Nevertheless, if this film proves one thing, it's this: hard work and careful planning leads to great results and great wisdom.
I was very pleased with how this film turned out, the performances were top notch, the story was well executed and seeing these people evolve the way they did was what made the film worth the view. This is perhaps the first time in a long time, Smith has proven his dramatic chops without going over the top in terms of laughs and comedy he was once known for. In The Pursuit of Happiness, it was a big step for him into the dramatic field and very well worth the effort. Here, he went even further than he did in that one. Even I caught on that right away once his girls started getting successful while trying to keep them as grounded as possible. Although the ending follows the same formula as past sports films like Cool Runnings and Coach Carter, I'm fine with that because there can't be anything far from the truth about an event that actually took place. Like John Candy said in Runnings, 'you won't be enough with a gold medal if you're not enough without it'. Major lesson to be learned here in the world of athletic competition. I was cheering all the way, despite the end results... they kept the faith, and won something bigger than themselves. The book of Ecclesiastes (mainly Chapter 3) says there's a time and season for everything and this was the time and season for the Williams to rise from their Compton neighborhood... which they did. This film left an indelible impression on me, and I can honestly say well worth the look and the time. If you want to know how Venus and Serena became the legendary players they are now and you like Will Smith, look at this one.
MY RATING: 4 1/2 out of 5