Movie Review: Battle of the Sexes

Battle of the Sexes *** ½ / *****

Directed by: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris. 

Written by: Simon Beaufoy.

Starring: Emma Stone (Billie Jean King), Steve Carell (Bobby Riggs), Andrea Riseborough (Marilyn Barnett), Natalie Morales (Rosie Casals), Sarah Silverman (Gladys Heldman), Bill Pullman (Jack Kramer), Alan Cumming (Cuthbert 'Ted' Tinling), Elisabeth Shue (Priscilla Riggs), Eric Christian Olsen (Lornie Kuhle), Fred Armisen (Rheo Blair), Martha MacIsaac (Jane 'Peaches' Bartkowicz), Lauren Kline (Nancy Richey), Mickey Sumner (Valerie Ziegenfuss), Fidan Manashirova (Judy Tegart Dalton), Jessica McNamee (Margaret Court), Ashley Weinhold (Kristy Pigeon), Austin Stowell (Larry King). 

 

I think the key to what Battle of the Sexes work so well is that the film understands that Billie Jean King never wanted to play Bobby Riggs in a tennis exhibition, and yet felt she had to. She had absolutely nothing to win, and everything to lose, by playing Riggs – which she knew from the start, which is why she turns him down. Simply by getting on the court with him, she legitimizes his position in a way she doesn’t want to – and shouldn’t need to. But Billie Jean King was pretty much forced to do so in order to preserve female tennis’ reputation – after another female player – Margaret Court – plays Riggs and gets crushed.

 

Emma Stone gives a great performance as King – she is shy and awkward for the most part – avoiding the spotlight if she can – but also not a pushover. She is the best female tennis player in the world – she’s setting records for how much she’s winning – but despite her shyness, she knows precisely what she is worth, and is willing to put her money where her mouth is. When the US tennis association holds tournaments that pay the male winner $12,000 and the female winner $1,500 – she walks, and takes the best female tennis players with her. She’s trying to build her own league – and sees Riggs – a 55 year old hustler, a great tennis player in his day, but now over the hill, a gambling addict, who wants to find a way to stay in the spotlight – as a distraction.

 

It really is quite remarkable how even the movie treats the inevitable showdown between the two of them almost as an afterthought. King doesn’t even agree to plays Riggs until in the films second hour – instead mainly focusing on King and her tour – and her inner torment as she falls in love with Marilyn (Andrea Riseborough) – her hairdresser, despite being married – and fairly happily – to Larry (Austin Stowell). The film is easier on Riggs than you may imagine – essentially treating him as you would a wrestling villain – a guy putting on an act for the cameras more than actually believing the sexist crap he spews with a smile. The film wants to humanize him – and does – in part because they cast Steve Carell in the role, which (Foxcatcher aside) means he’s almost instantly likable.

 

There probably is a better, harsher version of this story that could be told – one with more teeth. King herself is one of the producers of the film, and the film really does seem to almost go out of its way to paint most of its characters in the best light possible (there had to be more marriage problems between her and Larry, which are kind of brushed aside – perhaps because they remain close – something that was true of King and Riggs as well – which is why the film seems to soft peddle his toxic masculinity). The film clearly sees the systematic sexism – represented by Bill Pullman’s smarmy Jack Kramer – as the real problem, and so it is – but someone like Riggs spouting what he does contributes to that, no?

 

But basically, that isn’t the movie that Battle of the Sexes wants to be. This is a crowd pleaser – and it embraces the clichés along the way, and ends up with a remarkably fun and entertaining movie. The film was directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton – whose two previous films Little Miss Sunshine and Ruby Sparks – were similarly fun, smart and entertaining. They should work more often – as no matter how many clichés they embrace, they know how to make a film like this work.