Venus and Serena

Set to a Wyclef Jean soundtrack, filmmakers Maikin Baird and Michelle Major's Venus and Serena follows pro tennis siblings Venus and Serena Williams during a fateful 2011 season. Ultimately transcending the jockumentary genre, this is an excellent portrait of two remarkable young women and their family. Flashback footage captures the girls' uncompromising father Richard Williams (still scarred from an incident in which local racists pounded a nail into his leg in his native Shreveport) grooming the pair during their adolescent years in the 1990s to become the best tennis players in the world. January 2011 finds Serena hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism, while Venus competes in the Australian Open, although her own health problems will compel a hiatus from the game that (along with her love for her sister) defines her life. Both girls take up karaoke—or pole dancing—to unwind. At the U.S. Open, Serena's flashes of temper at bad refereeing (famously short-fused athlete-commentator John McEnroe defends her) earns her some bad PR. And, tragically, a random act of Compton street violence kills their half-sister. Besides the titular duo, who display remarkable resilience and devotion to each other, the unsung heroine here is their mother, Oracene Price, a witty, classy, and supportive woman (although divorced now from the ultra-controlling Richard). Interviews with fans—ranging from Bill Clinton to Chris Rock to Anna Wintour—emphasize that the Venus/Serena combo is a never-before (and perhaps never-again) seen cultural phenomenon—a landmark sister act. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (46 min.), interviews with filmmakers Michelle Major (8 min.) and Maiken Baird (4 min.), an ASX TV-produced featurette (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a good extras package for a winning doc.] (C. Cassady)