Battle of the Sexes - Okay

Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Sarah Silverman
Director: Jonathan Dayton
Runtime: 2 hours, 1 minute
Biography | Comedy | Sport | 2017

He made a bet. She made history.

So I knew nothing about this epic event in sports history. From the synopsis of the movie, I gathered it was a huge tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone), a world champ in women’s tennis, and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell), an ex-champ in the tennis world. By the title, it was pretty obvious that the film would put into play the sexism and inequality of the sexes that happened in that time period. But it was more than just that.

Battle of the Sexes, to me, was more about gay rights and how it was back then. Billie Jean fell in love with a woman, but because of her status in the spotlight, she wasn’t able to act on it publicly like she would have been able to in this day and age. I felt like the film had a strong topic and it executed it nicely, every little bit helps to go towards the rights and the equality of Americans. I’m glad this was a true story.

As for the film itself, those haircut scenes were intense. Who knew getting a haircut could be so seductive? Apparently this director did, and the haircut scenes I feel like lasted so much longer than it needed it. Slow motion, staring into each other eyes, I felt like it wouldn’t end. But the point came across clearly and the film quickly escaladed into girl-girl love.

I also enjoy movies that are based on things that happened in the 60s and 70s. I love when they have “old” footage on televisions, and other effects that make it seem like you’re truly watching something from 1973. I’d go out on a limb to say they used actual footage at some point, but last time I said that (ahem, Jackie) I was wrong.

As for the acting, Emma Stone was wonderful. I could see the tension and confusion for her feelings toward Marilyn, the inner struggles that I’m sure she was fighting. Steve Carell was Steve Carell. He brought most of the comedic aspects to the screen as he played a chauvinist pig who thought women should only be in the kitchen and the bedroom. Even in the end, when it wasn’t comedic anymore, he played the role extremely well. And then there’s Sarah Silverman, she plays Gladys, the manager of the women who started their own tour and say “screw you” to the man. She also brought comedy to the screen, as she was the complete opposite of Bobby Riggs.

For the most part I enjoyed the film, but not 100%. Some scenes seemed to be dragged out, and for the most part I enjoyed the tennis playing and practicing portion of it. It was nice having a little bit of romance thrown in there, but I was mostly interested in how Billie Jean fought for equal pay in the tennis world and accomplished just that. I’ll give it an “okay” rating. I probably wouldn’t watch it again even though I believe it was a well made and acted film. (3/5)

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