Battle of the Sexes Review
As a long time tennis fan, I can’t say we’ve gotten too many great movies about the sport. So, when I heard about Battle of the Sexes being released by the director of Little Miss Sunshine, it definitely peaked my interest. Not too mention, my dad lived through all of this, having deep roots in the tennis world.
Luckily, this movie did not disappoint one bit. One thing that is kind of strange about it is how dramatic of a story it tells while also casting a ton of strictly comedic actors. It’s nothing to complain about though since everyone gives such great performances. Emma Stone is fantastic as Billie Jean King in one of, if not her best roles. Steve Carell also gives a strong showing, once again adding to his resume of dramatic films like The Big Short and Foxcatcher, proving just how versatile an actor he really is.
The main reason Battle of the Sexes finally delivers on a solid tennis flick is because it uses the sport as a back drop to explore the complexities behind the characters as well as the social issues of the time. It tells an important message without feeling preachy. Billie Jean King’s characteristics are expertly captured, displaying her uncompromising and relentless nature. At the same time, she is someone who strays away from being showy or opportunistic, unlike her counterpart Bobby Riggs. It wasn’t even that she was asking for much or demanding that women are better the men. She simply wanted her side to be respected and given the chances they weren’t being awarded. On the other side, the movie does a good job to point out that Riggs didn’t buy into a lot of the sexism and chauvinism of the time. He was truly a showman who loved the attention and said or did whatever he needed to get the spotlight.
A trap that a movie like this could easily fall into is failing to feel authentic. Often times, period pieces like this can feel very fake and showy. What I mean by that is that it feels like a film is trying so hard to capture a certain time period that it comes off as very manufactured. The costumes look like costumes and nothing seems to blend in or feel natural. That’a not the case here. This movie is the 1970’s. I feel like they went back in time to film all of it. Everything comes off as genuine and true to the traits of the era.
From a more technical standpoint, the pacing is excellent. It’s one of the hardest things to get right in a movie. Keeping someone’s full attention for 2+ hours is hard to do and this movie felt to go by much faster to me than a lot of shorter things I’ve seen recently. The music is also something that stood out and I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was.
There aren’t any glaring flaws or major negatives with Battle of the Sexes. It’s an engaging movie that succeeds in telling a very interesting story that goes far beyond the sport of tennis. However, for some reason it didn’t grab me on the emotional level I wanted. It was great to get an entertaining lesson on sports history but I never attached myself with the characters. Regardless, Battle of the Sexes is a solid look into the sexism of the time and deserves a watch. 7.5/10
