Winning biopic of tennis stars' dad has language, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that King Richard is a moving, entertaining sports biopic about Richard Williams (Will Smith), the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. Dialogue includes swearing ("s--t," "hell," and "ass"), as well as slurs like "nigga." There are also scenes of gang violence and racial violence, and a minor character is shot and killed on-screen. Brands such as Nike, Puma, Reebok, and Fila are mentioned. With themes of perseverance, courage, gratitude, and humility, the film successfully offers a positive representation of a Black family and focuses on Richard's attempts to be a better father than the one he had growing up.
To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails
.
Violence & Scariness
some
Punching, pistol-whipping, gun violence (including minor character getting shot and killed on-screen), mention of sexual abuse (threat of Tunde being raped), police brutality (including footage of police beating Rodney King), descriptions of racism and racist violence (including mentions of Ku Klux Klan and people being punched and tortured during Jim Crow).
Did you know you can flag iffy content?
Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Language includes "f--k," "ass," "crap," "damn," "screw you," "bulls--t," and "hell." Also slurs like "nigga," "bitch nigga," and "cracker," plus words that could be considered ableist, such as "stupid" and "nuts." One use each of "G-damn" and "oh God."
Did you know you can flag iffy content?
Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Mentions of Nike, Reebok, Puma, and Fila as those companies try to get Venus Williams to sign lucrative deals with them.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
A background character is seen drinking from a brown paper bag, implying the contents of the bag is alcohol. It's mentioned that another rising tennis star is arrested after being found with pot in her hotel room. Richard tells Venus he does not want her to follow a similar path.
Did you know you can flag iffy content?
Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Making history means being brave and bold, using tons of perseverance. It takes talent and skill to win at something, but a true winner is also humble and grateful for success.
Positive Role Models
a lot
The Williams family -- particularly Richard, Venus, and Serena -- show courage in changing the White, affluent world of tennis. Richard demonstrates perseverance and courage in envisioning and pursuing better lives for his children. Even though Richard initially tries to teach his children gratitude and humility in an insensitive way, he does make sure they know the importance of showing those character strengths as they succeed in life.
Diverse Representations
a lot
Cast is largely Black, and comes together to successfully offer a positive representation of a Black family. There have been some colorism-related critiques of producer/star Will Smith casting himself as Richard despite being much lighter-skinned than the real man. (Though he does do a great job portraying Richard's bombastic nature.) Features many strong female characters, especially the Williams daughters and Richard's wife, Oracene. But aside from Venus, Serena, and occasionally Tunde, the other Williams girls don't have many, if any, lines.
Positive true story, a little bit of violence scared my almost 10yo
12+ My 12yo knew it turns out ok, so the violence wasn’t too scary. 9yo cried that she wanted to leave and I had to hang in the hall with her until it was all tennis, she finally would sit down and relax when they got to the tennis academy. A bit of explaining from me on the Rodney King riots and the N word. Overall a terrific story focusing on family, education, enjoying tennis, hard work and believing in yourself.
First thing you need to know is that there is a bit of violence in the first part of the movie. There are four iffy scenes where violence is present. The first one is when Richard goes to confront these boys that were cat calling his oldest daughter. He confronts them and the “leader” walks up and starts hitting him. The second is when Richard goes to confront them again and they push him to the ground and start kicking him. The third is when Richard sees the group of boys at a gas station and parks his car. He then grabs a gun out and starts to walk up to them. Before he can get to them a car pulls up and fires multiple shots at the leader. He falls to the ground clearly dead. No blood is shown but it may be scary to younger kids. Finally the last violent scene is when Richard and his wife are watching the news and a scene of a black man being beaten pops up. Again no blood is shown but it would be a good spot to pause and talk if you have a family.
Next is language. There are lots of uses of the n word and one f bomb. Some minor swearing such as the s word and the d word. Hell is used frequently.
Next is sex. There is no real sex, except on threat of Tunde the oldest daughter getting raped. This will fly over the heads of younger children though.
All in all this is an amazing movie. There is great representation but it packs a hard punch. I would strongly recommend for families for it provides lots of good talking points and all in all it is very entertaining. The rating though depends on the child. If your kid can handle violence and swearing then I would say 10 to 11+. If they cant I would say 11-12+. Hope you watch this movie.
What's the Story?
KING RICHARD tells the true story of Richard Williams (Will Smith), the father of tennis stars Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton), and how he prepared them for superstardom. The film focuses largely on Richard's past as a boy growing up in Jim Crow-era Louisiana and shows how his past shaped the way he parented his children toward greatness.
This moving, entertaining drama might be Smith's best acting yet; he mostly loses himself in the role of Richard Williams. While it doesn't make complete sense for Smith -- who looks nothing like Richard and doesn't even have the same skin tone -- to play Venus and Serena Williams' father, he captures Richard's essence as a strong-willed man who's ready to move heaven and earth to make his daughters' lives better than his. It's one of the rare moments in Smith's career in which viewers are more likely to see Smith's character and performance before they see Smith the actor. Yes, there are a few times in King Richard when Smith slips in his portrayal of Richard's Louisiana accent, but they're brief and early enough in the film to forgive. Smith's commitment to the role shines through, and his earnestness to give Richard his flowers as a father and visionary happily color the performance.
Equally as powerful -- if not more so -- is Aunjanue Ellis as Richard's wife, Oracene. She commands the screen with her nuanced, realistic performance of a long-suffering Black wife and mother who shared her husband's dream despite her issues with his process. She also brilliantly conveys how those misgivings sowed the seeds for the Williamses' eventual divorce. Even through her irritation and frustration, Oracene shows the love she has for Richard. Sidney and Singleton are also commendable as young Venus and Serena. Both actresses had to learn to play tennis at a level convincing enough to be believable, and their commitment comes through as they score aces that look exactly like the real thing. They also portray the balance between childlike excitement and exuberant confidence that the real-life Williams sisters have for the game, as well as their close bond. Overall, King Richard is a fantastic film for sports fans, tennis lovers, and fans of the Williams family.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Richard Williams. How did he prepare his children for life? What were some of the good things he did? Where did he fall short? How did his teachings help Venus and Serena succeed in tennis? How would you describe his legacy?
How accurate do you think King Richard is to the story it's based on? Why might filmmakers choose to tweak the facts of a biopic?
How did Venus and Serena inspire Black girls and children of all backgrounds?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
