King Richard review: Will Smith is a true movie star – even with bags under his eyes
The IndependentGet our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But for all that transformation, what actually makes Smith such a ferocious asset to King Richard is the one thing that couldn’t be scrubbed out. But it doesn’t simply feel like Richard speaking to his children, it feels like Smith speaking to us, his audience – the same Smith who experienced his own meteoric rise to the top. It’s one of those impressive fusions between actor and character, which all comes across so effortlessly onscreen, but gives King Richard the lifeblood it needs to triumph as a film. But it also demands that a few of the edges are filed down – it’s mentioned only briefly that Richard was previously married before meeting Venus and Serena’s mother, Oracene “Brandy” Price, and had several children.
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