Sidney is especially notable because she’d never played tennis before shooting this movie!Įven if you’re not a tennis fan, this is an enjoyable movie to watch because of the focus on the family and Richard’s quest to see his girls reach tennis stardom.īelfast is based on the life of director Kenneth Branagh, who grew up in Belfast until he was nine and his family moved to England to escape the escalating “Troubles.” Buddy, the nine year old boy at the center of the story, is played charmingly by newcomer Jude Hill, who is absolutely perfect in the role (it also makes me wish the Academy still did Juvenile Oscars.)īuddy lives with his older brother Will (Lewis McAskie), his Ma (Caitriona Balfe, Outlander), Pa (Jamie Dornan), and in the same neighborhood as his Grannie (Judi Dench, charming as always) and Pop (Ciaran Hinds, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II). The girls who play Venus and Serena are excellent as well, both in their tennis skills and in their portrayal of young girls with incredible talents, being driven by their father in ways they sometimes don’t want to be (such as when they’re practicing in a downpour). They both deserve to win their respective categories. Smith and Ellis make a great couple, and their scenes together are fiery and realistic. But undergirding the story is the question: is Richard doing this for his girls, or is he doing it for himself? The film climaxes with Venus’ match against world number 1 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (who, by the way, was one of my favorite payers to watch back in the day). So with two potential champions in tow, Richard begins to search for sponsors and opportunities-but he wants to do it his way, which begins to cause some problems with the coaches and tournament directors. (A scene where Richard makes the family watch Disney’s Cinderella drives this point home in a cute way.)Įventually Richard gets training for Venus, but not Serena Serena enters tournaments on the sly and begins racking up her own wins. The desire for excellence isn’t just in tennis, it’s in life, as seen in the scenes at home, where the girls are told to reach for excellence in every part of life, and to be humble. He’s doing his best, teaching them skills he’s found in magazines and on VHS training tapes, but he knows the girls deserve better than practicing on a public park tennis court, where they’re also harassed (maliciously) by a gang of guys. The film focuses on Richard’s drive to ensure that his daughters, Serena (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) get the world class tennis training he knows they deserve. King Richard has been nominated for several Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Will Smith), Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene ‘Brandy’ Williams, Richard’s wife), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.
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