Film review: The Power of the Dog
A searing western from the director of The Piano
Venus and Serena Williams’s father Richard resolved that his daughters would become tennis stars before they were even born, said David Sexton in the New Statesman. Having seen Virginia Ruzici win $40,000 in a tournament, he drew up a 78-page life plan for the girls, which was then “rigorously” enforced. King Richard follows his efforts to “stick to the plan”, from the sisters’ childhood years in Compton, California, to 1994, when Venus made her professional debut at the age of 14. The film, starring Will Smith in the title role, has been endorsed by the family, so it’s “feel-good through and through”: this is no exposé of overweening parental ambition. It’s not even really about tennis. What we have here is yet “another rehearsal of the American dream” – a study of how the individual can achieve the impossible, “whatever the adverse circumstances”.
All that is cool and slick in Smith has been rolled up and stuffed out of sight, said Clarisse Loughrey in The Independent. “Decades of pricey skincare routines” are hidden beneath under-eye circles; his shoulders are slouched throughout. Yet what makes him such a “ferocious asset” to the film is the one thing that can’t be scrubbed out: that he is a “true movie star in an age where there are diminishingly few”. He has a command and presence here that give the film the lifeblood it needs to triumph. This “extraordinary tale of one man’s obsession” is far too long, said Brian Viner in the Daily Mail. Even so, I enjoyed it. For anyone who loves sport, it’s “irresistible” – and Smith is “terrific”, nailing the stooped and bandy-legged lope that has been such a regular sight at tennis tournaments for the past 25 years. “I confess that I wiped away a tear once or twice.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Aston Martin Vanquish: 'the best Aston Martin full stop'?
The Week Recommends The third-generation Vanquish 'offers spectacular performance'
By The Week UK Published
-
Her Lotus Year: Paul French's new biography sets lurid rumours straight
The Week Recommends Wallis Simpson's year in China is less scandalous, but 'more interesting' than previously thought
By The Week UK Published
-
Say Nothing: 'sensational' dramatisation of Patrick Radden Keefe's bestselling book
The Week Recommends The series is a 'powerful reminder' of the Troubles
By The Week UK Published
-
Joy: fertility film starring Bill Nighy offers 'dose of seasonal cheer'
The Week Recommends The film about the invention of the fertility treatment is 'unassuming' but may 'sneak up on you'
By The Week UK Published
-
Ed Park's 6 favorite works about self reflection and human connection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize finalist recommends works by Jason Rekulak, Gillian Linden, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 fantastic homes in Columbus, Ohio
Feature Featuring a 1915 redbrick Victorian in German Village and a modern farmhouse in Woodland Park
By The Week Staff Published
-
Drawing the Italian Renaissance: a 'relentlessly impressive' exhibition
The Week Recommends Show at the King's Gallery features an 'enormous cache' of works by the likes of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael
By The Week UK Published
-
Niall Williams shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The Irish novelist chooses works by Charles Dickens, Seamus Heaney and Wendell Berry
By The Week UK Published