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Richard was born and raised in the segregated South, and his journey was a dramatic one.
We was too busy running from the Klan.
Its as if hes absorbed a lifetime of hurt and hate so that his kids wouldnt have to.
When Im interested in a thing, I learn it, Richard tells us.
How it works, how the best peoples in the world do it.
And thats what I did with tennis, with the girls.
Sure enough, within a few minutes, Cohen has taken on Venus as a student for free.
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green,King Richardbounces along briskly through its somewhat predictable plot points.
Cohen tells Richard that to get noticed, Venus needs to participate in junior tournaments.
Thats not the only fundamental, or obvious, inconsistency in his approach.
The film wants us to feel love for this man, sure but maybe a little terror, too.
(Venus and Serena are producers of the film.
Richard himself was reportedly uninvolved, and even reluctant.)
Theres pathos here, too.
And thats where having Will Smith pays the most dividends.
His performance here is not a full-on impersonation, as far as I can tell.
Instead, he seems to have brought his own poetic physicality to the part.
Still, whenKing Richardworks, it sings.
He recalls that his dad just ran away from the scene, ashamed and unwilling to help.
So Richard has made a promise to himself.
