October 19, 2017 2 min to read

Battle of the Sexes

Emma Stone is brilliant as Billie Jean, if only the movie around her was a little more focused.

by Zach Saul

Battle of The Sexes has some impossibly fun source material to draw from. the “Male Chauvinist Pig” (Bobby Riggs played by Steve Carrell) against the young, smart, and talented Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) square off in the battle for gender supremacy. Before reading about this exhibition tennis match I always thought “battle of the sexes” was reserved for family feud reruns and bored summer camp counselors.

Co-directors Jonothan Dayton and Natalie Ferris do a fine job drawing Billie Jean’s character and Emma Stone delivers a believable, complete and mature performance. The problem arises in the periphery of the movie, as it feels unfocussed - and unable to decide what it wanted to say. Gender equality and the “Title 9” fight occupy the first act of the film, Billie’s secret affair with her hairdresser and LGBT rights occupy the second act, and Act three touches on themes of commercialism, and big business influence in sports. Yes, it’s possible for these three themes to exist in the same movie - but in “Battle of the Sexes” the movie felt at times like “accidental vignettes “each with meditations that never received the full attention of the films directors. That being said, with so much action being packed in - there aren’t any dull moments and the complex themes along with our rooting interest in Billie Jean sustain a high energy level from start to finish.

The Good: The film paints a nuanced and complex picture of tennis legend Billie Jean King, and successfully connects the audience to Billie’s plight. Billie’s relationship with her hairdresser, her fight with the tennis “elites”, and her disgust for Bobby Riggs each could have occupied a movie of their own - and all three being crammed into the same two made Battle of the Sexes extremely entertaining. The sports movie sequences where Billie and Bobby are dueling it out are well shot, edited, and feel suspenseful and authentic.

The Bad: Sometimes in movies its a good thing to leave the viewer wanting more - but Battle of the Sexes left me wanting a bit too much - namely closure on the film’s first two acts. The tone feels noticeably different and disjointed at times as the movie switches back and forth between the public saga involving Bobby and Billie’s relationship which left me wondering what needle co-directors Dayton and Ferris were attempting to thread.