King Richard – 6.5

This is all about Will Smith, which is good and bad: his performance is incredible, but there’s a lot of it and it doesn’t change. Except for his wife (Aunjanue Ellis), who has one searing scene, the other characters are caricatures. Ever see five young sisters all playing happily together all the time? And the white men are exaggerated presences, sort of like American characters on Downton Abbey. The fact that we already know the story of Venus and Serena Williams is also two-pronged: their role in tennis history gives the plot an automatic heft it would otherwise lack, but it eliminates any possible suspense and drama. As a self-styled tennis expert, I was impressed with the actors’ ground strokes, although having Venus rush the net to put away so many points seemed a cinematic liberty. And the scene with McEnroe and Sampras was a groaner, topped only by the gratuitous cameo of Bud Collins.