Open in 1968 (against the evocatively depicted tumult of the war in Vietnam and the American civil rights movement) and subsequent string of pro-circuit triumphs including three Grand Slam singles titles. He went on to win the first “Open Era” U.S.

The result is a dimensional, richly contextual retelling of Ashe’s life starting with his strict upbringing in Jim Crow Virginia, a tennis-centric youth, a scholarship to UCLA and a military stint. Mixed in are recent chats with his wife Jeanne, brother Johnnie, fellow tennis champs Billie Jean King and John McEnroe, activists Andrew Young and Harry Edwards,and other observers. “Citizen Ashe,” the elegant, engrossing documentary about late tennis great Arthur Ashe, is as much the story of how a Black athlete who set out to become “the Jackie Robinson of tennis” conquered a lily-white sport as it is about one man’s slow and steady move from the social action sidelines to center court.ĭirectors Rex Miller (“Althea,” about another Black tennis pioneer, Althea Gibson) and Sam Pollard ( “MLK/FBI”) paint a skillful, insightful portrait of the International Tennis Hall of Famer using a trove of personal and public archival material, reenactment bits and extensive audio interviews with Ashe from the early 1980s. Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials. The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Star citizen review