The chronicle of the rivalry between 55-year-old former professional tennis player Bobby Riggs and his 29-year-old opponent, the charismatic female tennis player Billie Jean King, who faced off in a legendary match in 1973. The question was whether a professional female tennis player could really defeat a man (even a former professional), an event that drew more than just the battle to millions of Americans.
Emma Stone and Steve Carell are terrific.
'Battle of the Sexes' is an interesting look on the famous tennis match from 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. I'm sure it takes all the usual creative license that biopics tend to do, but that's doesn't bother me - especially with this type of event.
Stone (King) and Carell (Riggs) are definitely what hold this film together, without those two I don't believe it would've been as enjoyable. Sarah Silverman (Gladys) and Andrea Riseborough (Marilyn) are alright, though the main attraction here are the two leads.
Talking of Marilyn, I didn't really care for the love stories on show - with Marilyn, but also those involving Larry (Austin Stowell) and Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue). The rest is sufficiently entertaining, though.
It's sometimes a little too on the nose with the (obviously positive) message it's portraying, but that's just a small thing to note. Overall, this is a production I'd recommend you watch - tennis/sports fan or not.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I saw this while I was working my ass off in a foodtruck at an outdoor cinema. I missed whole chunks of it, and it certainly didn't have my full focus. I'll give it a proper chance at a later date, and alongside that, another review. However, of what I saw, _Battle of the Sexes_ seemed to be little more than a collection of stereotypes played for comedy in a movie that not only wasn't funny, but probably shouldn't have even tried to be.
_Final rating:★★ - Definitely not for me, but I sort of get the appeal._