Review 423: Battle of the Sexes

Battle of the Sexes is a fantastic sports drama film elevated by two superb lead performances from Emma Stone & Steve Carell.

In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women's movement, the 1973 tennis match between women's world champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men's-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough) developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue). Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court.

The plot is fantastically well crafted. It takes us back to a time when female tennis players were only being payed a fraction of what male payers were earning. 

Director's Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris direction is precise (keeping the 121 min narrative going at an appropriately brisk pace and combining it with some exciting and superbly staged Tennis games), the cinematography is beautiful and captures the sunny environment of 1973, the production design (recreating the early 70's) is excellent and rich with detail, strongly giving you the sense that you're actually watching a film made during that time period. The score by Nicholas Britell is lovely & lively, the make up is superb and brilliantly detailed. The costumes are colourful and vibrant and capture the 70's sense of self expression through clothes making them as much of a character as the historical figures on screen complete with a wide variety of colours from bright reds to deep blues and warm yellows. The tennis scenes are gripping,

Emma Stone & Steve Carell are superb in their roles as Billie Jean King & Bobby Riggs respectively.

Billie Jean King felt the injustice that was being done to female tennis players during that era and resolved to do something about it. Stone also captures her generosity of spirit and that sense of not so much being an icon so much as being a figurehead and why she's such an important figure. She was this symbol for the womens movement and then she discovered  

Bobby Riggs was a former champion who was cooling his heals and wanted to get back in the game. A self described male chauvinist who enjoyed provoking, he enjoyed being a perpetual showman, he was a clown, a caracature.  In a way, he was a hero in the world of tennis  

Bill Pullman playing Jack

Alan Cumming is also a lot of fun playing Cuthbert "Ted" Tinling, a fashion designer and close friend of Billie Jean King

Elizabeth Shue is a delight playing Bobby Riggs' wife Priscilla.

Sarah Silverman's Gladys Heldman was very much a supporter of King's

Andrea Riseborough, playing Marilyn Barnett

 

4/5.

 

The Anonymous Critic.