Streamed it on HBO, really really good film. Will Smith was awesome and Jon Bernthal was fantastic. I think it's a great family film, and I'm glad the sisters produced it.
I wish they had covered his earlier life, like when he abandoned his previous wife and 5 children. They could also have covered his divorce from Venus/Serena's mother and the new woman that was just a year older than Venus. I think it would have made for a far more complete, authentic, and interesting movie than the sanitized and Disneyfied version I endured watching.
They talked about his first marriage during the fight. That's why I like the movie, human beings are complex. The fact that they showed how much he was a part of his daughters' success, but a lot of it was also about him wanting to be seen as the man with the master plan (ego). I also think this was shot from the Venus and Serena's view of their father. Great performance by Will. The second divorce, as part of the story of Serena's rise could make for a good sequel. Edit: I think there are a lot of parts they can go into, in terms of helping the audience understanding Richard (maybe a prequel as well). His experience with truly bad racism (accidentally touch a white man and getting beaten as a result), to his issues in his first marriage. They mentioned both in the movie, to add layer to who he is in Venus and Serena's story (but only second hand as they witnessed neither). If it's truly going to be about Richard's biopic it would be good scenes. This movie is really about the sisters, and what Richard's role was in their life.
