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Movie Reviews: From 'Fresh Prince' to 'King Richard,' Will Smith serves up a winner

How long have we been waiting for a really good Will Smith movie, even a decent one? Well, we've finally got it.
Credit: Warner Bros.

DALLAS — KING RICHARD

     How long have we been waiting for a really good Will Smith movie, even a decent one? Well, we've finally got it, and it might be the best thing he's ever done. He plays the title role in "King Richard," so named because he raised and trained tennis royalty as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. The Williams family is straight outta Compton, not exactly the breeding ground of tennis stars, but Richard was convinced he could guide his girls to greatness. He was a man with a plan. He drills them on the local courts and engrains in them in no uncertain terms the riches that hard work can bring. The sisters were not shy about touting their own talents. We all know they manifested them.

     Richard is a plain-spoken man, and Smith takes on the dialect unapologetically. Richard is as stubborn as the day is long, but he carries himself with pride. He gets Venus, the older one, to the top camps and coaches, telling Serena all along, her time is coming. And let's give props to the young women playing these future champions: Saniya Sidney and Demi Singleton. You can tell they trained hard to be convincing. Back at home, Richard may call the shots, but Aunjanue Ellis is a revelation as his wife. She lets him know he's not the only one bringing up the best. Reinaldo Marcus Green directs only his third feature with "King Richard." (His second was the Mark Wahlberg starrer earlier this year, "Joe Bell.") He's smart enough to know the strength of this story lies not in 'game, set, match' but in the family ties that bind. And he serves up a winner!

     (Warner Bros. Rated PG-13. Running Time 2 hrs. 18 mins. In Theaters and Streaming on HBO Max)

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE

     Some sequels leave us wondering, do we really need this? With "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," you're happy to go along for the ride. Fortunately for us, Jason Reitman is driving. The writer/director is the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the original 1984 movie with parapsychologists Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis battling the supernatural in New York City. In the new one, the action is in a small town in Oklahoma. The late Ramis's daughter moves into his dilapidated home with her two kids. There they uncover tons of ghostbusting hardware and with good reason. Something really weird and really big is happening, something Ramis's character tried to stop and couldn't. So, his grandkids dive in to all that ectoplasm to figure it out. Grapevine's own McKenna Grace is the young team leader. Finn Wolfhard, of "Stranger Things," plays her hapless brother. A couple of friends join them for an eye-popping adventure.

     Newly-minted 'Sexiest Man Alive,' Paul Rudd plays a teacher who knows a bit about ghosts and encounters the Baby Pufts Marshmallow Men in the supermarket. But c'mon, who ya gonna call when you're really in a fix? The O.G.s, of course! They make you wait for 'em almost too long, but the way they handle Ramis's character, their absent buddy, I defy anyone not to leave the theater with a lump in their throat. There are a handful of cameos, but wait for the one during in the credits. Very clever. "Afterlife" is no afterthought, but it does leave you longing for the first one. Those guys were gold.

     (Columbia Pictures. Rated PG-13. Running Time 2 hrs. 4 mins. In Theaters Only)

TICK, TICK... BOOM!

     Wow! Who knew Andrew Garfield could sing! He takes on the lead in "Tick, Tick...Boom!' with all the gusto that a portrayal of Jonathan Larson calls for. The movie is based on Larson's theater piece expressing the frustrations of getting a play to Broadway. Larson, of course, died of an aortic aneurysm the morning that his signature work, "Rent," was to have its first Off-Broadway preview performance. This movie is about the approach of his 30th birthday and his feelings that he hasn't accomplished enough. It was as if he knew his life would be cut short.

     Garfield used the pandemic to train in theatrical performance. Yup, this was all new to him. Who better to direct him than Lin-Manuel Miranda in his debut, and, of course, he has a cameo. No one better than the creator of "Hamilton" to tell the story of workshopping a musical! A fantasy scene featuring some of the great icons of Broadway is inspiring. Aside from Garfield, two women shine: Alexandra Shipp as his long-suffering girlfriend and Vanessa Hudgens as his workshop singer. Bradley Whitford comes close to doing a parody of Stephen Sondheim rather than just playing the part. (At least it's small) I really enjoyed this movie, but then, I love Broadway.

     (Netflix. Rated PG-13. Running Time 1 hr. 55 mins. In Theaters and Streaming on Netflix)

JULIA

     Just choose Julia Child as the subject of a documentary, and you should have the recipe for success. In "Julia," you absolutely do! If you saw the feature film "Julie & Julia" a few years ago, you know some her life story. But you can't beat the real deal. It's directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, also responsible for the Oscar-nominated Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary "RBG."

     Here we learn how Child came to love French cooking and about her no-nonsense approach in the kitchen. Especially precious are those early days of television which did not exactly offer the bells and whistles of "The Rachael Ray Show!") We also learn about her strides as a pro-life feminist as well as her undying devotion to her husband, including excerpts of love notes. Theirs was a love story for the ages. Family, friends and top chefs offer insightful commentary about her impact. Before she became a household word, American housewives relished in frozen T.V. dinners. Thank you, Julia, for making us realize the value of preparing fresh foods. Now, if only we could smell what she's cookin! (apologies to The Rock.)

     (Sony Pictures Classics. Rated PG-13. Running Time 1 hr. 35 mins. In Theaters Only)

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