Battle of the Sexes (2017)

[baumer]

Dicuss

[filmlover]

Extremely conventional and not particularly insightful, but it's a breezy watch and both Emma Stone and Steve Carell are excellent. B

[La Binoche]

Overlong and too on the nose ("women belong in the kitchen and bedroom!!!") but by the end you're really invested in the outcome of the game. And it's an important story worth telling. B+

[rockNrollaDIM]

Aww I loved this. Nothing too heavy, just the right amount of drama, pulls you in without being overbearing or taking itself too seriously. Great performances all around - loved the surprise supporting turn from Sarah Silverman! 

[WrathOfHan]

It's a nice little film with an excellent third act. If anything, the movie should have been longer to flesh out King and Riggs more. 8/10 | B

[Fancyarcher]

My review.

 

https://dailyuv.com/feed/929095?location=norwich-vt

[Joel M]

It's an interesting story and the leads are very good but that's about it. It still can't shake the TV-movie vibe, there's nothing interesting visually and you never feel the stakes are high.

 

B-.

[Blankments]

Battle of the Sexes provides an interesting look at a part of sports history that might be easily overlooked. Dayton and Faris go for a plain directing approach, one that never really bothers except during some boring long-stretches without much visual flair. The film follows the typical sports biopic template, although with some interesting twists on the hallmarks of the genre.

 

The boring affair plot becomes intriguing when a woman cheats on her husband with another woman, easily the most progressive part of this PG-13 biopic. Just a couple of years ago, films like these would hide away the protagonist's sexuality in fear of offending audiences, but here it is on full display. Sure, this subplot ultimately proves to be a distraction and half-baked, but most affair subplots are in sports films. Some aspects of the climax come off as very cringeworthy, clearly planned during filming to reflect a modern qualified woman defeating a chauvinist pig (sadly, this didn't happen and that's America 2017).

 

The film also focuses a bit too much on Riggs, trying to make us sympathize with a man who doesn't seem to be worth much sympathy. On the plus side, Carell is probably the only actor who could pull his character off, and Emma Stone delivers one of her finest performances yet as Billie Jean King, being subtle and vulnerable in a powerful way. There really isn't much to say about Battle of the Sexes. It is nearly exactly what you'd expect it to be. Definitely seek it out if you're an Emma Stone fan, but otherwise, it's just an forgettable way to kill two hours with a few interesting aspects to make it worthwhile. An alright film. C+