How do you make a compelling drama about an event that was essentially a joke?
That's the central conflict at the heart of Battle of the Sexes, the latest film from Little Miss Sunshine directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton. It's an obvious Oscar play from Fox Searchlight, a bright, splashy biopic with big stars and an abundance of crowd-pleasing charm. But while the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs put gender issues at the forefront of pop culture in the midst of the women's liberation movement, there's not much drama in regards to the ultimate outcome of the duel. King was in her prime at the age of 29, while Riggs was a 55 year-old has-been. The Battle of the Sexes was all about the spectacle, the absurdity of seeing one of the most prominent feminist voices in America face off against a self-professed "male chauvinist pig."
With this in mind, Faris and Dayton take the drama to a personal level, putting a microscope to the lives of Steve Carell's Bobby Riggs and, more specifically, Emma Stone's Billie Jean King. It's a film that taps into the zeitgeist in an unexpectedly poignant way, tackling the issues of equal pay and LGBT rights in a rather effective manner. The performances by Carell and Stone are great, and the film is ultimately a satisfying, straight-forward journey. But as hard as Faris and Dayton try, Battle of the Sexes can never overcome the inherent lack of conflict in its story. This is basically a sports movie where the favorite wins, and while the film builds well around Stone's emotionally resonant portrait of King, that major plot hurdle still causes the final product to fall well short of greatness. It's an enjoyable, unremarkable biopic.
It's 1973 and Billie Jean King has quickly ascended to the top of the women's tennis world. She's the first female athlete to make over $100,000, but her fight for equal rights and equal pay puts her in conflict with the so-called tennis establishment, especially sexist color commentator Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman). After butting heads with Kramer one too many times, King, expert promoter Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman), and a group of the best women's tennis players in the world leave to form their own league. Meanwhile, gambling addict Bobby Riggs is going through a severe midlife crisis. He's stuck in a deadbeat job, placing bets and playing games in secret to avoid being discovered by his wealthy wife (Elisabeth Shue). He's not the Wimbledon-winning superstar that he once was, and he's trying to find a way back into the limelight.
Suddenly, Bobby comes up with a brilliant idea- play the best in women's tennis, fueling the fire of the country's increasing political divide. King turns him down flat, but after he defeats Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee), Billie Jean decides that this has to be done. While she's attempting to advance her career and prove the merits of female players, King is also dealing with something that has to be kept an absolute secret- her burgeoning sexuality. King is married to a good man (Austin Stowell) who loves her, but it simply will never work out. She strikes up a relationship with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough), a hairdresser who forms an immediate and intimate connection with the tennis superstar. As the intensity of the matches grows, King is forced to reconcile the troubles of her personal life with the pressure of a massive, potentially game-changing cultural event.
I'll start off with something that is more of a matter of personal expectation than anything, but Battle of the Sexes is way more dramatic than I thought it would be. I went in expecting a lighthearted sports comedy and ending up getting something more akin to a straight-up drama, equipped with the conventions that we've come to expect from the genre. This isn't necessarily a complaint, but it led me to wonder if the tone is really right for the story that Faris and Dayton are telling here. Billie Jean King's life goes well beyond her match with Bobby Riggs, and hell, half of this movie barely even acknowledges that impending showdown. King's trials and tribulations as a lesbian woman in an age filled with roadblocks is a sufficient narrative, which results in the Riggs stuff feeling like an overdramatic, fitfully amusing afterthought.
Essentially, the choice to have the final match play like Rocky comes off as a little silly. Nonetheless, the film makes a compelling case for the idea that this was a very serious matter for King, even if the Riggs circus put an air of stupidity over the proceedings. Faris and Dayton effectively use the internal stakes of King's struggle to create the drama of the match, and even if a loss to Riggs never feels like a threat, they try their hardest to generate a palpable sense of tension. Does it work? No, I still feel like this movie would be better if it was just the Billie Jean King story and everything involving the 1973 match was thrown out the winodw. But as a traditional sports narrative, Battle of the Sexes is fairly efficient, building well and investing the audience in a cast of interesting characters. I just wish that there wasn't such an acute clash between the contrasting subject matter and the approach.
Battle of the Sexes is worth watching for the performances alone, led by a carefully measured turn by Emma Stone and a raucous Steve Carell. Stone has the meatier part, and she does a really wonderful job of channeling both King's stern confidence as an icon of equality and subtle anxiety as a woman uncomfortable in her own skin. There's a nervous energy to Stone's performance that truly works, and I wouldn't be surprised if she found a way into the Oscar race again. Carell's Riggs doesn't have half the depth of King, something that works for the purpose of this narrative- he's really nothing more than the foil for King. Even with significantly less to do, Riggs is wildly entertaining to watch, a lavish, ridiculous figure who comes off as a semi-convincing huckster. I'm not sure if the film ever makes a true judgment on whether Riggs' rampant sexism was an act, but there's enough sympathy extended to his character to justify the idea that he was playing an intentionally stupid character.
On a micro level, Battle of the Sexes is filled with small things and little details that help to improve the final product. The supporting cast is great, led by an often-hilarious turn by Sarah Silverman and a sweetly empathetic performance from Andrea Riseborough. I'm a sucker for anything set in the 1970s, and Faris and Dayton nail the stylish swagger of that era in California. Judy Becker's production design, Linus Sandgren's cinematography, Nicholas Britell's score- this is all top-notch technical work across the board.
All of these minor qualities make for a decent experience, but Battle of the Sexes is the kind of familiar movie that remains firmly on the screen. It never leaps off to touch your heart or soul, and even though I heard a smattering of claps at the end of my screening, I sincerely doubt that anybody will remember this movie in a few months. It's a bit of nice cinematic comfort food, a mixed bag of several good performances and a weak, tonally confused take on a tennis legend. It's far too entertaining and engaging to be a bad film, but it never even sniffs greatness. Oscar season is filled with movies that ride off wildly over-the-top festival buzz, and it's often hard to tell which ones are the must-sees and which ones are overhyped. While Battle of the Sexes is a rock solid flick, I can't imagine a world where anyone has to rush out to theater to see it. Catch it on cable someday and you'll be more than satisfied.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.7/10)
Images courtesy of Fox Searchlight
That's the central conflict at the heart of Battle of the Sexes, the latest film from Little Miss Sunshine directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton. It's an obvious Oscar play from Fox Searchlight, a bright, splashy biopic with big stars and an abundance of crowd-pleasing charm. But while the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs put gender issues at the forefront of pop culture in the midst of the women's liberation movement, there's not much drama in regards to the ultimate outcome of the duel. King was in her prime at the age of 29, while Riggs was a 55 year-old has-been. The Battle of the Sexes was all about the spectacle, the absurdity of seeing one of the most prominent feminist voices in America face off against a self-professed "male chauvinist pig."
With this in mind, Faris and Dayton take the drama to a personal level, putting a microscope to the lives of Steve Carell's Bobby Riggs and, more specifically, Emma Stone's Billie Jean King. It's a film that taps into the zeitgeist in an unexpectedly poignant way, tackling the issues of equal pay and LGBT rights in a rather effective manner. The performances by Carell and Stone are great, and the film is ultimately a satisfying, straight-forward journey. But as hard as Faris and Dayton try, Battle of the Sexes can never overcome the inherent lack of conflict in its story. This is basically a sports movie where the favorite wins, and while the film builds well around Stone's emotionally resonant portrait of King, that major plot hurdle still causes the final product to fall well short of greatness. It's an enjoyable, unremarkable biopic.
It's 1973 and Billie Jean King has quickly ascended to the top of the women's tennis world. She's the first female athlete to make over $100,000, but her fight for equal rights and equal pay puts her in conflict with the so-called tennis establishment, especially sexist color commentator Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman). After butting heads with Kramer one too many times, King, expert promoter Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman), and a group of the best women's tennis players in the world leave to form their own league. Meanwhile, gambling addict Bobby Riggs is going through a severe midlife crisis. He's stuck in a deadbeat job, placing bets and playing games in secret to avoid being discovered by his wealthy wife (Elisabeth Shue). He's not the Wimbledon-winning superstar that he once was, and he's trying to find a way back into the limelight.
Suddenly, Bobby comes up with a brilliant idea- play the best in women's tennis, fueling the fire of the country's increasing political divide. King turns him down flat, but after he defeats Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee), Billie Jean decides that this has to be done. While she's attempting to advance her career and prove the merits of female players, King is also dealing with something that has to be kept an absolute secret- her burgeoning sexuality. King is married to a good man (Austin Stowell) who loves her, but it simply will never work out. She strikes up a relationship with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough), a hairdresser who forms an immediate and intimate connection with the tennis superstar. As the intensity of the matches grows, King is forced to reconcile the troubles of her personal life with the pressure of a massive, potentially game-changing cultural event.
I'll start off with something that is more of a matter of personal expectation than anything, but Battle of the Sexes is way more dramatic than I thought it would be. I went in expecting a lighthearted sports comedy and ending up getting something more akin to a straight-up drama, equipped with the conventions that we've come to expect from the genre. This isn't necessarily a complaint, but it led me to wonder if the tone is really right for the story that Faris and Dayton are telling here. Billie Jean King's life goes well beyond her match with Bobby Riggs, and hell, half of this movie barely even acknowledges that impending showdown. King's trials and tribulations as a lesbian woman in an age filled with roadblocks is a sufficient narrative, which results in the Riggs stuff feeling like an overdramatic, fitfully amusing afterthought.
Essentially, the choice to have the final match play like Rocky comes off as a little silly. Nonetheless, the film makes a compelling case for the idea that this was a very serious matter for King, even if the Riggs circus put an air of stupidity over the proceedings. Faris and Dayton effectively use the internal stakes of King's struggle to create the drama of the match, and even if a loss to Riggs never feels like a threat, they try their hardest to generate a palpable sense of tension. Does it work? No, I still feel like this movie would be better if it was just the Billie Jean King story and everything involving the 1973 match was thrown out the winodw. But as a traditional sports narrative, Battle of the Sexes is fairly efficient, building well and investing the audience in a cast of interesting characters. I just wish that there wasn't such an acute clash between the contrasting subject matter and the approach.
Battle of the Sexes is worth watching for the performances alone, led by a carefully measured turn by Emma Stone and a raucous Steve Carell. Stone has the meatier part, and she does a really wonderful job of channeling both King's stern confidence as an icon of equality and subtle anxiety as a woman uncomfortable in her own skin. There's a nervous energy to Stone's performance that truly works, and I wouldn't be surprised if she found a way into the Oscar race again. Carell's Riggs doesn't have half the depth of King, something that works for the purpose of this narrative- he's really nothing more than the foil for King. Even with significantly less to do, Riggs is wildly entertaining to watch, a lavish, ridiculous figure who comes off as a semi-convincing huckster. I'm not sure if the film ever makes a true judgment on whether Riggs' rampant sexism was an act, but there's enough sympathy extended to his character to justify the idea that he was playing an intentionally stupid character.
On a micro level, Battle of the Sexes is filled with small things and little details that help to improve the final product. The supporting cast is great, led by an often-hilarious turn by Sarah Silverman and a sweetly empathetic performance from Andrea Riseborough. I'm a sucker for anything set in the 1970s, and Faris and Dayton nail the stylish swagger of that era in California. Judy Becker's production design, Linus Sandgren's cinematography, Nicholas Britell's score- this is all top-notch technical work across the board.
All of these minor qualities make for a decent experience, but Battle of the Sexes is the kind of familiar movie that remains firmly on the screen. It never leaps off to touch your heart or soul, and even though I heard a smattering of claps at the end of my screening, I sincerely doubt that anybody will remember this movie in a few months. It's a bit of nice cinematic comfort food, a mixed bag of several good performances and a weak, tonally confused take on a tennis legend. It's far too entertaining and engaging to be a bad film, but it never even sniffs greatness. Oscar season is filled with movies that ride off wildly over-the-top festival buzz, and it's often hard to tell which ones are the must-sees and which ones are overhyped. While Battle of the Sexes is a rock solid flick, I can't imagine a world where anyone has to rush out to theater to see it. Catch it on cable someday and you'll be more than satisfied.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.7/10)
Images courtesy of Fox Searchlight
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