King Richard
2021
Compton, California
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Biopic
What’s it all about: The rough public tennis courts of Compton help Will Smith train his daughters to overcome any adversity, except a 9-minute bathroom break by Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
First Encounter: new release
Prostitute Index: low
Death By: drive by
Relics: some amazing 90s warm-up jackets; hair beads; Arantxa’s “bunny tail” ball holder
Hoops: “Cruel Summer” to set the stage at a sporting event; the bully gangsta who becomes a friend; the blonde woman who is just plain wrong (a la Kirsten Dunst in “Hidden Figures”)
Heartthrobs: Tony Goldwyn, Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Vaughn Hebron
LoFi Magic: self-loathing on the junior tour; Aunjanue Ellis low-key owning every scene as Oracene Williams; Venus Williams’s glittery beaded homage to herself at the premier
Makes me want to: encourage Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton to carry on and become pro tennis phenoms themselves
Candotti take: “never. too long.”
Worth a watch/rewatch: Yes
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