LM23 Rating: Going to the movies if I have time.
I remember vaguely a while ago that Will Smith had signed on to play Richard Williams, father of the Venus and Serena Williams, so I was surprised when the trailer appeared in the summer. I don’t know if it’s just the realization that time has already flown by or that I don’t keep track of the movie release schedules as closely anymore, but it’s always a surprise when you see the finished product of something you thought you had heard about a long time ago.
King Richard is a biographical telling of Richard Williams and how he raised two of the greatest athletes of all time. Add to that he managed to do what he did with very limited resources in Compton. It’s like trying to win the lottery…twice.
Stories like this are not always given their due. Or, they’re not recognized for their extraordinariness.
For those who have worked in corporate. For those who have worked in politics. For those who have worked in media. For those who are just struggling to get by. You know and I know that oftentimes those who fill the uppermost ranks and those who end up getting those prizes and getting those gigs, it’s usually those who got a huge head start in life in finances, education, and connections.
And for those who may only have one or two out of those three keys to success, they have to work extra hard to try to close those missing links. And even then that’s not always guaranteed. They may make it middle of the way if they’re lucky. I know because I was one of those people. Life is not a meritocracy. It could be if life didn’t have to fit into a system that was designed with a very specific blueprint for success and those who don’t fit into that blueprint, you either conform or find a way to conform.
Tennis was one of those sports I sometimes watched whenever it was on TV. I was more of a track and field and basketball fan, but I didn’t mind watching the random tennis tournaments on TV. When the Williams Sisters appeared, I can’t say I noticed anything different. I was for a long time very “colorblind” or that I just took things as they were and didn’t think much beyond that. But when you’re young and a kid, you don’t get what’s behind the curtain, yet.
But then you grow up and you realize oh wait a minute, it really doesn’t matter if you’re the smartest, prettiest, nicest person ever, you still may never move onto the pay band level or get the next level job title because life’s not fair to people like you. You meaning your race, your gender, your class, your position in the workplace popularity hierarchy, and whatever and what have you. But it has nothing to do with how hard you work and how smart you are. I know and you know because most of us have lived through it.
This movie excites me as it stars Will Smith meaning an A-list actor like him is giving this story its rightful dues. It would’ve been preferred if an equally well-known director and writer was attached, but that’s alright I guess. If you sit back and think about it, it is a tremendous triumph of what Richard Williams accomplished with his children. How Venus and Serena became elite athletes and worldwide celebrity superstars, it’s just as important of a story to be told the same way we’ve seen biopics of Steve Jobs and the math genius from A Beautiful Mind. The Williams Sisters and big thanks in part to their dad, Richard, are pioneers and noted figures in history.
Just like Tiger Woods, you tell me how cool tennis was before Venus and Serena came on the scene? And just like Tiger Woods, I remember watching TV and reading articles and there seemed to be blatant jealousy and envy from sports fans and commentators alike. It was like they couldn’t just bow down and give the proper respect. There always had to be something about their attitudes or attire or something or other that didn’t have anything to do with winning.
What I hated the most was how they had the additional pressure of having to portray their “femininity” in more conspicuous and stereotypical ways like with makeup and long hair and whatever. I recall how there would be talk about how strong they were and how muscular they were and you know and I know that as a female and as an athlete, you can’t be too muscular because like that’s not ladylike and that’s very threatening and frightening to a lot of people in society for some strange reasons I can’t comprehend.
That always bothered me and confused me. Like, if the sport involves upper arm strength, why aren’t you pumping iron and trying to get those arm muscles so you can hit the ball faster? The haters are just jealous that they weren’t blessed with bodies that could be that graceful and be that powerful.
My sister and I have very different body types but the fastest way I can describe our differences is that she was better at high jump and I was better at long jump and shot put. All my sports were power based and took advantage of my height and strength. I was really glad, especially when I moved out to live on my own, that I was born with muscle and strength and I didn’t weigh like a twig.
And let’s just keep it real now, their race has a lot to do with all of the trash talk. People are probably confused as to how did these two sisters beat the system and beat them. Because they’re being beat, the only other things they can try to tear the sisters and their family down on are things that don’t count on the court. Because they are the race that they are, you know and I know that that is like totally not allowed in a system like old school professional tennis.
When you don’t fit the mold of what the system wants and you disrupt and beat the system, watch out! And that’s why you know and I know that folks like us who didn’t grow up in privilege but want to get to that level, we had to put extra time into being extra pretty and nice so those parts of us couldn’t get points deducted or held against us when being assessed for performance. But Richard and his daughters were rightfully proud and unapologetic about how they handled their business. And at the end of the day, winning is all that matters and they’re all winners in the end.
To come from where they came from and do what they did, it is an amazing achievement. For not one but two “Michael Jordans” to come from one family, that’s more than worthy of a film being made of their lives.
I would like to see this movie in the theatre, but it will depend on if I have time.
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