--- title: "King Richard: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/king-richard/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/king-richard" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 23 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # King Richard (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 23 reviews: 17 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Rating Critic's Pick. 18 November 2021. The warm, exuberant sports drama paints a persuasive portrait of the Williams family and their pursuit of excellence, functioning as both an appealing old-fashioned entertainment and a socially alert story. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/18/movies/king-richard-review-will-smith.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Odie Henderson Rating 3.5/4. 19 November 2021. The film is half sports movie, half biopic that benefits greatly from strong performances across the board, especially from Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis, despite some dramatic skittishness and length issues. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/king-richard-movie-review-2021) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 2 September 2021. Festival review. Reinaldo Marcus Green delivers an engaging true-life drama focused on Richard Williams' conviction and exceptional belief in turning his daughters into tennis champions, with strong work from Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/king-richard-review-venus-williams-1235054637/) ## Empire — Alex Godfrey Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2021. The film is a touching family drama and love letter to Richard Williams's ambition that avoids biopic clichés, montages and melodrama while delivering warmth and strong performances, especially from Will Smith. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/king-richard/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2021. Festival review. Will Smith triumphs in a thoughtful drama that examines how parents project dreams onto children and focuses on race, class and family difficulties rather than genre conventions. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/king-richard-review/5163513.article) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating 4/5. 14 October 2021. Festival review. Will Smith's towering, complex performance as the irascible Richard Williams defines the film, which charts the family's journey and reveals painful backstory through strong dramatic moments. It is praised as one of the year's great screen performances and a satisfying drama. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/king-richard-review-a-towering-turn-from-will-smith-as-venus-and-serenas-father-gmxlc9pfw) ## Time Out — Helen O’Hara Rating 4/5. 26 November 2021. An excellent Will Smith performance anchors this unusual take on the sports biopic, defending its counterintuitive focus on the father while celebrating an extraordinary story of endurance and family. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/king-richard-2021) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B. 3 September 2021. Festival review. The review highlights Will Smith's larger-than-life, transformative performance as Richard Williams in a slick, authorized biopic that balances comedy and hagiography. It notes the film's light tone and focus on Williams' tenacity but observes that it defangs some of his more eccentric or problematic traits. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/king-richard-review-will-smith-1234661806/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2021. The critic argues that Will Smith's layered, physical performance makes the film worthwhile despite a predictable script, emphasizing the fraught family dynamics and Richard's internalized fears and determination. It singles out the emotional confessional scenes for praise while noting the story's conventional beats. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-king-richard-starring-will-smith.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Farber Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2021. Festival review. The critic praises the film's nuanced portrayal of Richard Williams as an ambiguous, driven figure motivated by both love and personal frustrations, with strong performances from Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis. It notes the story's complexities and humor but criticizes its length, repetition, and perfunctory handling of some elements. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/king-richard-telluride-2021-1235008117/) ## Little White Lies — Leila Latif Rating 2/3/4. 19 November 2021. The film rises above its uneasy premise to offer a well-conceived tribute to Black parenting, family and spirit, with Will Smith delivering a nuanced performance that absorbs the character's eccentricities and volatility. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/king-richard) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 3/5. An irrepressible real-life character is entertainingly unpacked in this largely satisfying biopic, with complexity in Smith's portrayal of a determined man, though some flaws are brushed over and the daughters are ultimately sidelined. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ambhh1/king-richard/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 3/5. 15 October 2021. Festival review. The critic finds the film an enjoyable, well-crafted authorised biopic of Richard Williams that highlights his drive and the family's rise from Compton, but notes it soft-pedals darker aspects of his personality and leaves some questions about family dynamics unanswered. Smith delivers a balanced but somewhat opaque performance as the demanding father. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/15/king-richard-review-will-smith-serves-up-tennis-stardom-for-venus-and-serena) ## The i Paper — Francesca Steele Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. The authorised biopic is slick but bland and lacks emotional depth or hard-hitting insight, with Smith giving an enjoyable low-key performance as the ambitious father but the film failing to fully engage with its subjects or stakes. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/king-richard-review-will-smith-venus-serena-williams-cinema-uk-release-1307264) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2021. The review criticizes the film as an uncritical hagiography and image rehabilitation that excuses Richard Williams' flaws and presents him as an infallible genius due to foreknowledge of the happy ending. It faults the script for mocking doubters and Smith for a one-note performance, while noting the lack of deeper exploration of trauma. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/king-richard-review-will-smith/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2021. Festival review. The critic highlights the film's focus on the entire Williams family and eccentric patriarch, praising Will Smith's committed performance and the depiction of family bonds and social barriers overcome. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/king-richard-2021-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating B. 3 September 2021. Festival review. The critic appreciates the balanced portrait of Richard Williams and strong performances from Will Smith and especially Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene, while noting some dragging in the middle and conservative visuals. The film focuses effectively on the family dynamic and Venus's early career. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/will-smith-king-richard-telluride-review-20210903/) ## Deadline — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2021. Festival review. Will Smith delivers a strong, nuanced performance as the driven and eccentric Richard Williams in this engaging biopic. The film succeeds as a complex portrait of an unconventional sports parent who overcomes skepticism to guide his daughters to greatness. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/09/king-richard-review-will-smith-telluride-film-festival-1234826893/) ## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui Rating 7/10. 16 November 2021. The critic praises Will Smith's transformative performance as Richard Williams in this by-the-numbers sports biopic, noting it justifies the film's focus on the father despite initial criticisms. They single out the strong supporting turns, particularly Jon Bernthal as coach Rick Macci, and subtle social commentary. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/660789/king-richard-review-will-smith-rules-the-court-in-a-standard-issue-sports-drama/) ## Polygon — robert-daniels Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2021. The critic calls it charming and enjoyable thanks to movie-star charisma and the real-life underdog story, but notes it is tonally conflicted and sanitizes its subject. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22791505/king-richard-review-will-smith/) ## The Ringer — Manuela Lazic Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. The critic finds it a mostly compelling but sometimes too-sweet retelling of the Williams sisters' rise, praising the warmth brought by Will Smith and the emphasis on family nurturing and solidarity over privilege. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2021/11/18/movies/king-richard-review-venus-serena-williams-movie-will-smith) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. Reinaldo Marcus Green’s film offers a reflective and poignant take on Richard Williams as a flawed but dedicated father. It stands out for its focus on parental anxieties and the origin story of the Williams sisters’ rise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/king-richard-film-review-will-smith-venus-serena-williams/) ## NME — Leonie Cooper Rating 3/5. 19 November 2021. The critic finds the biopic not quite a championship-winning smash, with Will Smith’s central performance strong but the focus on the father feeling like a reach that sidelines the sisters’ achievements. The young leads deliver graceful, standout turns amid a heartwarming if conventional inspirational story that highlights racism and family drive. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/king-richard-review-will-smith-3100143) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/king-richard.md