Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Rated PG-13
Starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Bill Pullman, Sarah Silverman, Elisabeth Shue
Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
The Story:
In 1973, Bobby Riggs (Carell) challenged Women's # 1, Billie Jean King (Stone) to a tennis match to prove that men were the superior sex in the world of sport. Shenanigans ensued.
I'll file this under uneven, and leave it at that.
Except, where's the fun in a one line review?
So stretching to 2 hours, because half the movie seemingly focuses on King's sexual discoveries with hairdresser Marilyn Bennett (Riseborough).
It's a necessary portion for a biographical picture such as this one, but it's also the weakest part of the entire movie.
Much more interesting were the break from the tennis circuit by King and all the ladies under the leadership of Gladys Heldman (Silverman) and their clashes with Jack Kramer (Pullman).
Even more interesting was Bobby Riggs and his quirks that were quietly destroying his relationship with his wife (Shue).
When it's Riggs vs. King at the finale of the movie, the energy is there and it's quite good.
I'd go so far to say that it's Carell and Pullman in the adversarial roles that helped shaped King's career that make this movie as watchable and entertaining as it is. Remove them, and this would be a bland mess.
Final Grade: B-
No comments:
Post a Comment