Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) was a
champion of three important issues of the last century. Founding member of the WTA, Being a
leading advocate of LGTBQ rights and taking a direct risk to her personal life and
profession to battle male chauvinism head on. In Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ film The Battle of the Sexes These important
pillars are too often interrupted or not complexly fleshed out to give equal
time to the Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) clown prince of tennis storyline.
The Riggs angle could have been covered by
showing two or three of his stunts along with his best two passages one
involving winning a Rolls Royce and the other telling attendees at a gamblers anonymous
meeting where their true failings lie.
Instead the narrative often cuts away from an intimate or poignant
moment in King’s life to Riggs playing showman in one instance dressed up as
Little Bo Peep on the court rallying while shepherding.
The story does hit on a few critical points.
How leading tennis players King, Rosie Casals and Ann
Jones boycotted the Pacific Southwest Championship run by Jack Kramer (Bill
Pullman) the true male chauvinist in the film when he announced that the that he would pay the men 12:1 in
prize money as they were the true draws.
The women then created their own tournament The Houston Women’s
Invitational lead by Gladys Heldman (Sara Silverman). More details around this
venture would have been compelling instead of flipping back to another Riggs
antidote.
The actors all perform well with the
material presented. Emma Stone slides comfortably into the Billie Jean King
role. Her struggles with focus, creeping
new sexual feelings, knowing the persona she has to present to the public for
the survival of the fledgling WTA but still taking a strong stance against an
icon of the sport Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman). Steve Carrell is larger than life
as Bobby Riggs. He is the outward chauvinist that knows he’s playing a
character all the while knowing he’s bankrolled by a woman his estranged wife
Priscilla (Elizabeth Shue). Andrea Riseborough turns in a strong supporting
role as tour hairdresser Marilyn Barnett carefree in a Haight & Asbury way
and catalyst for King’s sexually awakening.
Battle
of the Sexes is a film that covers three distinct
elements. The story would have benefited from at least a 1/3 split of the topics
instead of giving the least engaging aspect half of the screen time. There are
some good elements here surrounding the birth of the Women’s Tennis
Association, The drive of a competitive athlete and the publics draw to a
spectacle but a more in depth look at Billie Jean King’s personal and
professional risks would have served the piece better.
** ½ Out of 4.
Battle of the Sexes | Jonathan Dayton /
Valerie Faris| UK/ US | 2017 | 121 minutes.
Tags: Tennis, WTA, USLTA, Virginia Slims,
Boycott, Chauvinism, Gambling, Exhibition, Houston Astrodome, ABC Sports.
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