- Title: Battle of the Sexes
- IMDb: link
Battle of the Sexes works as a kind of CliffsNotes version of events leading up to the inter-gender 1973 tennis match between women’s champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and aging men’s star Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). The script by Simon Beaufoy offers glimpses at both players’ home lives, marital and emotional issues, and eventually the match itself. While Battle of the Sexes touches on the creation of the WTA and the rivalry with the men’s tour, I’d have preferred more insight here and overall better framing of the historical importance of the match.
Battle of the Sexes doesn’t add much the narrative of the events or subjects it covers. Stone and Carrell are both put to good use, and the story is succinct, but the film is more a lightweight crowd-pleasure than genuine biopic. Released on DVD and Blu-ray, extras include galleries, footage from the original match, and a featurette on Billie Jean King.
[20th Century Fox, Blu-ray $34.99 / DVD $29.98]