Illustration by Grace O’Keefe
There’s something super fun about sports movies isn’t there? You already know that the hero will overcome some great obstacle, against all the odds, to win the ultimate challenge; but you can’t help but feel that sense of anticipation as they take the field for the final time, feel the fear as they falter, and feel the joy as they emerge victorious.
This theme has been baked into Hollywood sports films since the beginning, and from Rocky to Karate Kid, it’s been a hit. Battle of the Sexes is no different, because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Battle of the Sexes, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris retells the famous tennis match in 1973 between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). The match between King, a woman, and Riggs, a man, marked a major stepping stone in the fight for gender equality on and off the court. If King had lost she would have justified many people’s assumptions about gender. This match meant much more than just a win or loss. Spoiler alert: King wins.
But this movie isn’t just about the issues surrounding gender, it also neatly ties in LGBT+ issues and a bit of gambling and marital conflict. This switch up comes as a pleasant surprise considering this movie is biographical and thus fairly predictable. But these additions all fit into the arc of the story and add to the overall impact of the movie.
This message gives the movie a jumpstart in terms of quality, because when you have empowerment and history on your side, it’s much easier to make a good movie, and you have more leeway if it turns out poorly. Some movies use this fact as a crutch, but not Battle of the Sexes, because by and large what makes this movie excellent is the acting.
I must admit I’ve had my doubts about Emma Stone in years past, but the combination of this role and her Oscar-winning role in La La Land last year has silenced me along with all the other naysayers. She can act. Her ability to communicate efficiently and effectively all her emotions to the audience, with limited dialogue, is a skill reserved for masters.
This talent comes to a head in one of the final scenes as she sits alone in the locker room after her victory. I can’t go into detail what happens without spoiling the moment, but I can assure you the movie is worth watching just for that scene.
Steve Carell is a niche actor. His iconic roles as Michael Scott in The Office and Cal in Crazy, Stupid, Love have solidified his place in acting history as a goofy, cringy, unaware weirdo. In many ways he’s like Johnny Depp in that after his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean we all began to see him as Sparrow rather than the actual character in every role.
This can be a difficult role to break out of and Carell has tried – forcefully. In his role in Foxcatcher we saw an intense and frankly weird shift that left many confused. In Battle of the Sexes we see a more familiar Carell, fun loving and silly, however Dayton and Faris are able to add in layers to his character that both pay homage and sophisticate his role in a satisfying blend.
The topics in this movie can be heavy at times, but while the directors maintain a serious and at times somber air when necessary, they weren’t afraid to lighten the mood at times. That isn’t to say that they just throw in some corny one-liners intermediately to break the tension. No, the sprinkling of positivity, while liberal, is still in the sweet spot.
So as far as sports movies go – this movie has it all. If you want Rocky style motivation montages, you got it. If you want uplifting victories, you got it. And if you want good acting and a socially aware plot, you got it as well. Whatever you go to see Battle of the Sexes for, rest assured you will leave satisfied.