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Anybody seen it? 

 

This is available in theaters too, so maybe people might have been looking in the movie section?

Will was good in this but I have to admit that for most of this movie I was always aware that it was Will Smith playing a role, but Aujanue Ellis who played Brandy/Oracene was fantastic! 

Maybe because of their youth and kids pick up things with more ease than adults but I found the two actresses who portrayed Venus and Serena pretty convincing as up and coming tennis players. This was probably the first tennis themed movie that I have seen, that starred non-tennis players who came across looking like actual tennis players onscreen. These types of movies usually get it wrong. 

Saniyya Sidney, who played Venus, is playing another iconic person, Sasha Obama in another film with Viola Davis. Talk about a terrific start to a career.

The actress who played Serena, Demi Singleton looks just Serena did at that age.

When I watched the Red Table Talk with Will Smith and the Williams women, Serena mentioned being in tears every time young Yetunde appeared onscreen and I couldn't help but think about the gangbanger who was stalking her, and IRL, years down the road it would be a gangbanger who took her life, when as an innocent bystander, she got caught in gun crossfire while a passenger in a car.

People are talking about how Capriati and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario can't be too pleased with their portrayals but they stuck fairly close to facts. That real life mugshot of Capriati though.👀 And surely Sanchez Vicario is already aware that she has annoyed people at various times during her oncourt career. I am curious about whether McEnroe and Sampras saw the movie. Andy Roddick and his brother get a mention, although only the actor portraying his brother John was shown onscreen. 

Overall, I found the movie to be moving. The scenes of Venus' first professional match  and the real life images and video during the final credits surprised me by how emotional they made me feel. 

I still think Smith's best dramatic role was as Ali but he did a good job and he was backed up by a talented cast and crew and the story was fairly well done.

I don't remember ever hearing Venus pronounce Wimbledon with a "T" in real life though but I guess that was a bit of dramatic license at play.

 

I really enjoyed the move and wished it had been longer. The two and half hours flew by. I also thought the actress playing Brandy/Oracene did an outstanding job in the role. 

I'm sorry but Capriti real mugshot had me 😂😂😂

 

Yeah, that mugshot really caught me by surprise, especially since they used the real person. I don't think they were trying to malign her or anything, that's just the way it was, it was big news back then and it had a huge effect on the age eligibility rules going forward, so to somehow not mention it in a movie about young tennis phenoms would have been odd.

Rick Macci was over the moon that he figured in the story in such a significant way.

Will Smith deserves his Oscar nomination for this and probably the win. 

On 12/8/2021 at 6:25 AM, DemetriKane said:

Will Smith deserves his Oscar nomination for this and probably the win. 

He definitely deserves a nomination ,but honestly, it's likely to be tough to win with the spectre of Denzel Washington doing Shakespeare and Andrew Garfield in a Lin-Manuel Miranda production, as well as Dominic Cumberbatch in a high-profile vehicle (although the Academy tends to hate Netflix).

IMO, Aunjanue Ellis has a clear shot at the Supporting Actress category and she's already been quietly scooping up awards. 

Denzel is so overrated. I haven’t seen the film but there’s no way he’s getting a third oscar without completely disappearing on the screen, and I highly doubt he has. Rooting for Will!

3 hours ago, DemetriKane said:

Denzel is so overrated. I haven’t seen the film but there’s no way he’s getting a third oscar without completely disappearing on the screen, and I highly doubt he has. Rooting for Will!

In terms of Shakespeare on screen, I am not certain but onstage, Washington is a beast, total command of the stage. He wouldn't be Will's sole competition though.

I have no rooting interest in awards though since I am long past the point of looking for these award shows to validate anyone.

Ellis to me, melded seamlessly into the role and had a immeasurable impact on the story. I'm so glad that Isha Price insisted on beefing up Oracene's role in this movie. You couldn't have told a complete story without her. 

Edited December 14, 20213 yr by DramatistDreamer

Will Smith won the Golden Globe for playing Richard Williams in King Richard.

14 hours ago, Soapsuds said:

Will Smith won the Golden Globe for playing Richard Williams in King Richard.

And he wasn't even there to receive it. It wasn't televised either.

On 1/11/2022 at 5:57 PM, Soapsuds said:

Will Smith won the Golden Globe for playing Richard Williams in King Richard.

Can’t wait for King to get his long overdue Oscar.

The movie was nominated for best picture Oscar nomination.

Best actor and best supporting actress nominees.