Movie: The Battle of the Sexes
Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell
Writer: Simon Beaufoy
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Rated: PG-13
On September 25, I returned to the Angelika Film Center for The Battle of the Sexes. Given my propensity for early morning showings, this was the first movie I'd seen with more than a handful of other people in the audience. For those keeping track, this was my fifth MoviePass movie, bringing my average ticket cost down to less than $2. Woohoo!
The titular Battle of the Sexes refers to a legendary 1973 tennis match between women's tennis champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and men's tennis Hall of Famer Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell.) While the trailers for this movie emphasize the comic antics of 55-year-old Riggs, a hustler and showman more interested in making a buck than defending male chauvinism, the heart of the story is Billie Jean King and her fight to demand equal pay and respect for women players while also coming to terms with her own sexuality.
Stone is excellent as King, conveying the will and focus that made her a champion athlete as well as the conflicting emotions King feels as her attraction to another woman, hairstylist Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough), threatens her marriage and potentially her game. King is initially reluctant to play Riggs in what she knows is more sideshow than athletic competition. Ultimately, though, King recognizes she is the only one who can publicly defeat Riggs and put to rest once and for all the idea that men are inherently superior.
Carell is so likable it's easy to forgive Riggs for his sexist shenanigans. Riggs is an inveterate gambler, an addiction that leads his wife, his primary source of financial support, to kick him out of the house. King recognizes that Riggs is not her real opponent; Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman), head of the US Lawn Tennis Association, truly believes that women are worth less than men, while Riggs is just interested in putting on a spectacular show and making money.
The Battle of the Sexes is a must-see for fans of Emma Stone and Steve Carell (personally I love them both), and a fascinating reminder of how far we've come for those of us who weren't around to see it in person.
Stone is excellent as King, conveying the will and focus that made her a champion athlete as well as the conflicting emotions King feels as her attraction to another woman, hairstylist Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough), threatens her marriage and potentially her game. King is initially reluctant to play Riggs in what she knows is more sideshow than athletic competition. Ultimately, though, King recognizes she is the only one who can publicly defeat Riggs and put to rest once and for all the idea that men are inherently superior.
Carell is so likable it's easy to forgive Riggs for his sexist shenanigans. Riggs is an inveterate gambler, an addiction that leads his wife, his primary source of financial support, to kick him out of the house. King recognizes that Riggs is not her real opponent; Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman), head of the US Lawn Tennis Association, truly believes that women are worth less than men, while Riggs is just interested in putting on a spectacular show and making money.
The Battle of the Sexes is a must-see for fans of Emma Stone and Steve Carell (personally I love them both), and a fascinating reminder of how far we've come for those of us who weren't around to see it in person.
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