The Slap.

Oh lord, the Slap.

I have to admit that I was hesitant about reviewing the 2021’s King Richard because the last thing that I wanted to do was talk about the moment that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscar Ceremony.  That moment has been talked about and written about to death.  The last thing I want to do is rehash it but The Slap has actually overshadowed the Oscar that Smith won that night.  As King Richard was specifically made to win Smith that Oscar, the Slap has become a part of the film’s story.

For those who need to be reminded, Chris Rock was brought out on stage to introduce the presenters for Best Documentary Feature.  Rock did some material, which largely consisted of making jokes about the nominees in the audience.  Myself, I actually remember being a bit annoyed when Rock started in with his jokes because the ceremony was already boring enough without having to spend however long listening to Chris Rock go on about how Penelope Cruz losing Best Actress meant that Javier Bardem would be in trouble if he won Best Actor.  I had actually stopped paying attention when Rock made his now famous joke about Jada Pinkett Smith starring in G.I. Jane 2.  I did not see Pinkett role her eyes at Will when Will laughed.  I heard Rock say, “Uh-oh, here comes Richard,” but I initially missed the slap.  I hard the audience gasp.  I looked at the screen and I saw Smith yelling at Rock but the audio had been cut.  I had to go on YouTube to see an unedited clip of what happened.

Making the moment even more awkward was the knowledge that Will Smith would soon win his first Oscar for King Richard.  On Twitter, there were rumors that Smith had been escorted out of the theater but those turned out to be false.  After Smith was announced as the winner for Best Actor, I sat there and thought, “Oh no, he’s going to invoke God, isn’t he?”  Smith went on stage and promptly invoked God.

We all know what happened next.  For two weeks straight, the Slap discourse was nonstop.  Will Smith was described as being a bully, though I can only guess what we would have said about him if he hadn’t done anything in response.  (“Would you slap Chris Rock if he made fun of me?” I asked Jeff at one point.  Wisely, he promised he would.)  A lot of people predicted that Will Smith would never work again which, in retrospect, was a pretty stupid thing to predict.  America has forgiven its celebrities for a lot worse than just being a jackass at an awards ceremony.  Smith’s career has recovered just fine.  Quite frankly, no one is going to look at the trailer for a new Bad Boys or Men In Black movie and say, “But Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on national television.”

In the end, the most interesting thing about the Slap is that, before Chris Rock made that comment about Jada, the Oscars were supposed to be Will Smith’s greatest night.  From the minute the first trailer for King Richard dropped, it was obvious that the film was going to be the one the won Will Smith an Oscar.  It didn’t even matter whether or not he gave a good performance, though he does give a good one in the film.  The Academy will often decide that it’s an actor’s time and it was obvious that was what had been decided as far as Will Smith was concrned.  Will Smith had been a star for a long time.  He had made a lot of people a lot of money.  Before the Slap, the public perceived him as being a likable and goofy guy.  It was time to reward him.  From the start of 2021, everyone knew that Will Smith would be getting his Oscar.  For The Academy, it was also a chance to make up for not nominating him for his adequate if not particularly memorable performance 2015’s Concussion.  Smith not getting nominated for that film was often (incorrectly, I would argue) considered to be the starting point of the whole “#Oscarssowhite” movement.  (Personally, I would say the movement’s roots could actually be traced to Ava Duvernay not being nominated for directing Selma.)  Along with everything else, honoring Will Smith would be a way for the Academy to say, “See?  We learned our lesson!”

Will Smith does give a good performance in King Richard, playing Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams (played, respectively, by Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton).  Smith does a good job of capturing both Richard’s stubbornness and his anger but, even importantly, he makes you believe that, as obsessed as he is with his daughters becoming champions, their will-being is still his main motivation and concern.  Richard and his daughters may go from practicing on dangerous courts at night to practicing at an exclusive Florida training center but, through it all, Richard always looks after his daughters.  Like 2024’s Saturday Night, this is a film where it’s important that the audience already knows what the future is going to hold for its main characters.  The coaches played by Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal may not agree with Richard’s decision to keep his daughters out of the juniors tournaments but those of us watching know that Richard’s right and, as a result, we’re on his side.  Richard can be cantankerous and difficult.  We understand why his wife (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) get frustrated with him.  But, the important thing is that we know that he will be vindicated and Will Smith has such a likable screen presence that we root for Richard even when he’s acting like a jerk.

King Richard is not a bad sports films, though I do think there were other films more deserving of a Best Picture nomination in 2021.  (The Tragedy of MacBeth comes to mind.)  It’s unfortunate that Smith’s performance (which was so much better than his work in Concussion) will probably forever be linked to The Slap.  As for the film itself, it lost Best Picture to another heartwarming film, CODA.