‘King Richard’ And The Delicate Move Of Exalting A Flawed Black Man

Anyone who has followed Richard's personal story since the 1990s, when Serena and Venus first gained national attention, knows that he is not as admirable as much of the film portrays.

With the headline “Real Love,” Essence magazine ran a cover story in 2006 with Sean “Diddy” Combs and his on-again/off-again girlfriend, the late Kim Porter, mother of three of his six children.

It’s a memorable image because those two words, when combined with the image of a couple whose relationship had been marred by his infidelity, seemed to imply that theirs was a romantic ideal for Black women. And Diddy represented a true Black man.

That interview came to mind after watching “King Richard,” a heartfelt and superbly acted family drama about tennis icons Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams’ (Demi Singleton) meteoric rise.

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Because their father, Richard (Will Smith), is portrayed as an exemplary figure whose transgressions — including his extramarital affairs — are relegated to footnotes in favor of a hagiographical profile.

In fact, the way director Reinaldo Marcus Green and screenwriter Zach Baylin balance Richard’s many strengths with his far less noticeable flaws becomes a delicate tap dance over the course of the film’s two-hour-plus runtime.

Though many fans may wish for another story about the Williams sisters, “King Richard” establishes from the start that their father is the protagonist — and a major reason for their success.

His character’s positioning, combined with Smith’s effortlessly charismatic and empathetic portrayal, gives us a lot to root for in him.

Richard, a skilled athlete in his own right, is the man who gets up at 5 a.m. to train his then-adolescent daughters at their local tennis court in Compton, which is frequently plagued by gang violence, even practicing in the rain before heading to his unsatisfying night job in security.

Richard is also the one who works his way into the presence of renowned coaches, such as John McEnroe’s Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), to advocate for his girls’ undeniable talent.

He insists on being treated with the same dignity as white counterparts such as Jennifer Capriati. So, of course, whenever Richard asks Venus and Serena who their best friend is, they warmly respond, “You, Daddy.”

'King Richard' And The Delicate Move Of Exalting A Flawed Black Man - SurgeZirc US
(L-R) Demi Singleton, Serena Williams, Will Smith, Venus Williams, Saniyya Sidney, and Aunjanue Ellis attend the 2021 AFI Fest Closing Night Premiere of Warner Bros. “King Richard” at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 14, 2021, in Hollywood, California.

Based on what we see in “King Richard,” there is no doubt that he earns his children’s respect as a hero, a man whose determination and protection of their integrity as Black girls in a predominantly white sport helped catapult them to the next level of their careers.

That is, of course, in addition to the times when he is the archetypal Black father who is as loving as he is a strict disciplinarian.

For example, when he forces his daughters — in addition to Venus and Serena, Tunde (Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew), Isha (Daniele Lawson), and Lyndrea (Layla Crawford) — to rewatch a classic film right after it ends because they can’t come up with a lesson when he asks. Despite the protests of his then-wife Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis), he presses the play button once more.

There are many scenes in “King Richard” where he is presented as a man to be feared as well as respected — even by Oracene, who is not his child but is supposed to be his equal.

Anyone who has followed Richard’s personal story since the 1990s, when Serena and Venus first gained national attention, knows that he is not as admirable as much of the film portrays.

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That’s why it’s a relief when Oracene finally confronts him in their kitchen about how he consistently makes decisions about the girls on both their behalf and how his desperation for their success is fueled by his lack of self-worth.

We see a woman compelling her man to look at her and what’s really going on in their relationship for the first time, thanks to Ellis and Smith’s powerful performances.

Oracene mentions his son from another relationship, who has been knocking on the door of their new Florida mansion, asking for money. It’s an acknowledgment made in a fit of rage in the middle of a heated argument, but it’s necessary if only for the sake of authenticity.

After all, in real life, Oracene and Richard divorced, and he later married a woman 37 years his junior. (This goes beyond the timeline depicted in the film, but she also stays with him until 2002.) Clearly, Oracene and Richard’s relationship was far from the idealized image depicted in the film.

'King Richard' And The Delicate Move Of Exalting A Flawed Black Man - SurgeZirc US
Serena Williams, right, with her father, Richard Williams, and sister Venus Williams after winning a match on July 7, 2012, at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in London.

Nonetheless, this argument only leads to Richard taking a deeper look within himself to recognize his error of judgment, resulting in a beautiful moment between him and Venus on a tennis court.

His outside relationships, on the other hand, are never mentioned again, nor is the son he appears to have neglected. In fact, much of his future actions will be aimed at resolving family strife rather than becoming a better partner to his wife.

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It’s as if he’s saying that now that he’s a better father, he’s also a better husband and doesn’t have to account for things he’s done outside of marriage that has hurt his wife. And that they do not need to be brought up again. It’s a clumsy narrative thrust that isn’t entirely justified. But, hey, it’s a good inspirational family movie.

Perhaps “King Richard’s” deception is a reflection of the strong desire many women have to stick by their man no matter what. When Oracene first appears in the film, she is tending to Richard’s wounds after he is beaten up by bullies in the park. She is attempting and failing to use her voice as a deciding factor in the situation.

Nonetheless, Richard’s layers are better unpacked than Oracene’s very real concerns, which are largely ignored in that pivotal argument at the kitchen counter. While it’s impressive to see a Black male character given such nuance, it begs the question: If the genders were reversed and these were Oracene’s transgressions, would she be treated the same?

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