There’s no denying how compelling a story Battle of the Sexes contains, rich in cinematic potential in how it allows filmmakers the ability to adhere affectionately to the tropes of the sports movie formula, all the while peppering the narrative with a pertinency and socio-political context. However the story is already in place, so really what this Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris endeavour should be judged on, is the way it’s been told – but the execution here is underwhelming, somewhat conventional, which is surprising given the ingenuity of this filmmaking duo, who were behind Little Miss Sunshine.
Emma Stone plays Billie Jean King, the number one women’s tennis player in the world. She is naturally aggrieved to learn from the head of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman), that the prize winnings for the forthcoming grand slam is an eighth of the amount the men will collect. So she quits, to start her own association, where women will get what they deserve, as she seeks to prove that she’s to be taken just as seriously as her male counterparts.
Then former champion, and now 55-year-old gambler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) presents a proposition – to play King in an exhibition match, as he wants to enforce his stance that men are superior athletes, and make a bit of money in the process. Naturally she declines, believing it to make a mockery of the sport, but when he defeats Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee), suddenly King feels obliged to put him in his place and prove him wrong – and so accepts the offer of a match. Though its a contest she would win easily, she’s distracted somewhat when she finds herself falling in love with her hairdresser Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborouh), despite being married to Larry King (Austin Stowell).
Dayton and Faris do an impressive job in balancing the protagonist’s complex love life with the sporting event at the core of the movie, which inspires another fine display from Stone. She plays the role with a steely determination, complete with a wide-eyed optimism, somebody who wants to change the world, and as far as she’s concerned, she has a pretty decent chance of succeeding. She’s modest too, and completely the opposite to Riggs, though as an antagonist he’s portrayed in a more comedic way, not vilified as such, but deemed pathetic, which in some ways is even more damning. It’s hard to even know for sure if he believes in what he’s saying, or whether he’s just desperate for the attention, claiming he puts the ‘show’ in ‘chauvinism’.
Battle of the Sexes does have a certain charm about it, and there’s a segment in the middle stages when King is overcome by these new feelings and emotions that derive from her relationship with Marilyn that is absorbing and easy to invest in. But as the narrative progresses, what transpires is a rather archetypal sports movie, and while there’s more here at stake that just a mere trophy, at the same time it feels odd to build up to the game with the intention of celebrating this potential victory for King, for while a necessity she defeats Riggs, it’s still somewhat hollow, putting this man in his place more anything else. King would be the first person to admit that winning this match is something that needs to happen, but still not exactly a triumphant, celebratory endeavour – and yet tonally the film contradicts this notion.
