Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

King Richard Blu-ray Movie Review

A sad little king of a pretty big hill.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 8, 2022

Reinaldo Marcus Green's King Richard gives center stage to Richard Williams (Will Smith), father of tennis greats Venus and Serena (Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton), during those critical years leading up to their monumental success at an absurdly young age during the 1990s and beyond. It's a curious biopic that unfortunately sidesteps a warts-and-all approach, portraying Wlliams as a sympathetic figure whose dogged support of his two talented daughters -- complete with a detailed step-by-step "plan" -- made the former security guard an enigma to friends and fellow coaches alike. Although somewhat by-the-numbers within the boundaries of inspirational drama, it's nonetheless a decently effective and approachable film in all other respects... as long as you don't treat it as a documentary, of course.

Opening in Compton, California during the girls' formative years, the Williams family is shown to be outsiders even in their own neighborhood: all five girls in the care of Richard and Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis) -- which also includes Tunde (Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew), Isha (Danielle Lawson), and Lyndrea (Layla Crawford) -- are pushed towards success but in a way that also fosters love and personal growth. Richard, however, pays special attention to Venus and Serena, confident that they'll one day become future tennis superstars while spending his limited free time coaching them on the run-down local tennis courts; hell, he even uses down time during his night job to formulate a detailed plan while promoting his girls to mostly uninterested coaches and agents. Eventually their collective prowess can't be ignored -- mostly by way of older Venus, who gets the lion's share of screen time here -- and eventually this gets her mentored by Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) and, later, Rich Macci (Jon Bernthal), which pushes the film's second half forward during a family move to Macci's luxurious training camp in sunny Florida where her real training begins.

It's a mostly straightforward affair with a handful of emotional detours, some of which are lightly explored but rarely in great detail. Harassment and an attack on Richard by a local teenager interested in daughter Tunde -- which thankfully doesn't result in her trip to Bel-Air -- leads to a surprising conclusion and, later, unconditional support from his friends. Serena's separate career path is mostly glossed over, despite her ultimately becoming the more successful of the two sisters by a fairly wide margin. But perhaps King Richard's most frustrating sidestep lies within an argument between Richard and Oracene that mentions "his other children", a thinly veiled reference to the real-life Williams' abandonment of his first wife and five young kids before starting a... well, let's just say "second franchise". From this perspective, it's doubtful that he could ever be seen as a sympathetic figure and, in all fairness, King Richard doesn't necessarily paint its title character as some type of mythical, bulletproof dad. But it's still a little off-putting when the resulting film's main emotional arc is literally built on the foundation of hard work and unwavering family support.

That's my only real hang-up with King Richard, which is otherwise a perfectly fine drama that ticks all the boxes with strong fundamentals, a solid cast, and a pace that feels comfortable with its slightly extended running time. It's the type of watchable, entertaining fare that's worth a spin every so often, even if it can't help but play fast and loose with the facts. (But then again, what biopic doesn't take a little creative license?) Either way, Warner Bros. has gone all-in for King Richard's home video debut by offering a 4K/Blu-ray combo pack alongside this standard edition; both offer a proportionately solid A/V presentation, although the lightweight extras could've used more true-life support.

King Richard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released to theaters as a 2K DCP, it's no surprise that King Richard looks outstanding on Blu-ray; the 1080p transfer offers a more than satisfactory presentation that showcases its workmanlike visuals in great detail. From the Williams' modest home in Compton to swanky country clubs and the second-half trip to sunny Florida, this is an attractively shot film with mostly warm colors and excellent attention to lighting and shadow detail. Cooler hues arrive during nighttime scenes and on a few of the championship courts (screenshot #5), but all are handled well with excellent saturation and no apparent bleeding. Black levels also reach fairly deep with no flaring signs of crush or posterization. Fine detail is uniformly good within its digital source's resolution; textures don't always read with razor-sharp clarity, but it's obvious that King Richard has not been subjected to any sort of flagrant digital noise reduction. Overall, it's a clean, crisp, and consistent presentation that should play nicely on small to medium-sized displays. Those with larger 2160p displays (65"+ or projectors) may appreciate the improvements that the separate 4K edition brings to the table.

King Richard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although this largely low-key and dialogue-driven film doesn't seem like an obvious candidate for Dolby Atmos, King Richard does use a few opportunities to take advantage of the format in successful ways. But first, the basics: it should come as no surprise that dialogue and sound level prioritization are spot-on with no discernable defects, as intimate and larger conversations form different soundstage widths depending on their size and location. Music cues, from the original score by Kris Bowers to a few throwback pop and R&B hits, enjoy a strong presence and only overpower dialogue for emotional effect. Rear channels are used sparingly outside of the music but arrive in the form of ambient background effects and, of course, a few whizzing tennis balls. Where the Atmos height channels mostly come into play are during King Richard's third-act matches -- especially the final showdown between Venus and top-ranked Arantxa Sánchez Vicario -- where the more intimidating stadium and crowd sizes translate to a strong overhead presence that intensifies emotions on both sides of the court. So while it's not an extremely showy presentation, this full-bodied track covers all the bases perfectly well... if you'll excuse my sloppy mixed-sport metaphor, of course.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the film and all bonus features.

King Richard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Extras are limited to three short featurettes and a few deleted scenes.

• Following the Plan: The Making of King Richard (9:07) - This candid behind-the-scenes piece includes a few cllips of on-set footage as well as comments from director Reinaldo Marcus Green, producer Tim White, and several key cast members including Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Demi Singleton, and Jon Bernthal.

• Becoming Richard (6:26) - Will Smith and other returning participants, as well as new ones including makeup artist Kudy Murdock, speak about his physical and emotional transformation for the lead role.

• Champions on Screen (5:51) - Several returning participants speak about King Richard's portrayal of the Williams sisters at different ages, with Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton sharing their own thoughts about their characters along with some early footage of tennis practice and lighter moments on set.

• Deleted Scenes (3:03 total) - Two short extended scenes that show a phone call between Richard and Rick Macci, and Rick pressuring Richard about the Nike sponsorship offer before Venus' final match.

King Richard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Reinaldo Green's King Richard is a solid biopic about an interesting subject; it takes a few creative liberties, but rightly keeps the unpredictable central figure at arm's length. This generates more interest than usual for this type of picture, and its other strong fundamentals -- supporting roles, cinematography, production design -- would normally be enough to keep it in four-star territory... if not for the somewhat soft treatment of its central character, which brings it down a notch but is by no means a deal-breaker. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition release serves up an impressive 1080p transfer that stands up well enough alongside its proportionately solid 4K counterpart. The Atmos audio is good too, although its bonus features leave a little something to be desired. Recommended, possibly as a blind buy.