Will Smith stars as Richard Williams in the newly released drama/sports film ‘King Richard’. The film takes a comprehensive look at the lives of tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams. As their father, Richard takes them through the most exhausting form of training to launch their triumph on the tennis court.
Smith’s performance currently stands as his most transformative turn in Hollywood prompting 2022 award season buzz in the best actor category. The developing recognition is welcoming and at the same time opens the door to his vibrant craft, which has ostensibly gone unnoticed for the last couple of years.
From the early 90s to present day, Smith has walked through the bright and good hallways of Hollywood delivering thrilling performances such as Robert Neville in ‘I Am Legend’, where he played the last human survivor of a plague in New York struggling to bring an end to the deadly virus with his own immune blood and the 2016 Golden Globe entry ‘Concussion’ playing real Nigerian figure Dr. Bennet Omalu, who brought the issue of brain damage in retired NFL players to the forefront.
All these and more have sequentially given Smith out as a true movie star whose performances ignite rawness and believe.
On our weekend watch list calendar this week, we pay homage to one of the very best to ever do it, Will Smith with some of his shortlisted works over the years.
MOVIES
‘The Pursuit of Happyness‘
SYNOPSIS: Tired of Chris’s professional failures, his wife decides to separate, leaving him financially broke with an unpaid internship in a brokerage firm and his son’s custody to deal with.
CAST: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandiwe Newton
DIRECTOR: Gabriele Muccino
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Prime Video
‘I AM Legend’
SYNOPSIS: Robert Neville, a scientist, is the last human survivor of a plague in the whole of New York. He attempts to find a way to reverse the effects of the man-made virus by using his own immune blood.
CAST: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Willow Smith
DIRECTOR: Francis Lawrence
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Netflix
‘Aladdin’
SYNOPSIS: Aladdin, a kind thief, woos Jasmine, the princess of Agrabah, with the help of Genie. When Jafar, the grand vizier, tries to usurp the king, Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie must stop him from succeeding.
CAST: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott
DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Prime Video
‘Bad Boys for Life’
SYNOPSIS: Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett join the Miami Police Department’s special team AMMO to bring down the ruthless Armando, who is on a mission to kill Mike at his mother Isabel’s orders.
CAST: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanesa Hudgens
DIRECTOR: Bilall Fallal, Adil El Arbi
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Netflix
‘King Richard’
SYNOPSIS: Armed with a clear vision and a brazen, 78-page plan, Richard Williams is determined to write his two daughters, Venus and Serena, into history. Training on tennis courts in Compton, Calif., Richard shapes the girls’ unyielding commitment and keen intuition. Together, the Williams family defies seemingly insurmountable odds and the prevailing expectations laid before them.
CAST: Will Smith, Jon Bernthal, Demi Singleton, Saniyya Sidney
DIRECTOR: Reinaldo Marcus Green
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: HBO Max and Theatres
‘Concussion’
SYNOPSIS: Dr Bennet Omalu tries to convince the authorities and create awareness among the public about the presence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a football-related head trauma in players.
CAST: Will Smith, Albert Brooks, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
DIRECTOR: Peter Landesman
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Prime Video
‘Ali’
SYNOPSIS: Cassius Clay, a young boxer, wins his debut championship and goes on to reach new heights of fame through his conversion to Islam, his refusal to fight in Vietnam and other controversial actions.
CAST: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith
DIRECTOR: Michael Mann
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Prime Video
‘Men in Black’
SYNOPSIS: K and J, (the men in black) are the scum-fighting super-agents; their latest mission is to save the world from a total intergalactic disaster.
CAST: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Emma Thompson
DIRECTOR: Barry Sonnenfeld
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Netflix
‘Enemy of the State’
SYNOPSIS: A videotape containing footage of congressman Phil Hammersley’s murder is planted on a lawyer, Robert Dean. Government operatives, who are trying to retrieve the evidence, target him.
CAST: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Regina King
DIRECTOR: Tony Scott
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Prime Video
TV SHOW
‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’
SYNOPSIS: Will Smith more or less plays himself in this good-natured NBC sitcom. As the show’s popular theme song explains, fictional Will’s mom sends him away from his rough Philadelphia neighborhood to live with wealthy Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian in Bel-Air. Will often has fun at the expense of stuck-up cousins Carlton and Hilary.
CAST: Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro
AVAILABLE TO WATCH: Netflix
