Battle of the Sexes

Battle of the Sexes is one of those second tier Oscar-bait movies. It never actually got enough awards buzz to be an Oscar nominee. Yet many of the traits of an Oscar movies still exist herein. While on the one hand, this does mean the movie is a bit formulaic; on the other hand, part of the Oscar-bait formula is making movies that are good.

The film follows the lead-up to the Battle of the Sexes tennis tournament. The tournament pits 55-year old former tennis champion and gambling addict Bobby Riggs against top women’s player, Billie Jean King. Riggs had set up the event ostensibly to prove once and for all that women’s rights and equality was nonsense. His actual interest is just the monetary aspect. For King, it’s more personal as she had spent her career fighting against female tennis players being underpaid and disrespected. Also, King is a closeted lesbian. So in addition to the pressure of having to compete in a match for all womankind, she’s trying to hide her affair with a hairdresser named Marilyn.

What is interesting is how much focus the film puts on Billie Jean King’s sexuality. That is the majority of her character arc and non-tennis related subplot. This is mostly probably because the film doesn’t delve too deep into the characters. Aside from playing tennis, King is mostly know for being a lesbian so that’s the thread the film follows. But for whatever reason, it is largely good to see this focus. Long has there been a trend of biopics and Oscar-bait films downplaying or removing references to queer sexuality. To see a film that is at least trying to be one of those awards season biopics that focuses so heavily on the queer element does feel like a step forward.

However, while I am happy for the amount of queer representation, it is also indicative of the fact that the film has pretty weak characters. This isn’t a film that feels like a portrait of Riggs and/or King as individuals. Instead, Battle of the Sexes uses these characters as mouthpieces of the film’s themes. More research and focus seems to have been given to the events surrounding these people than to the people themselves.

Unfortunately, some of the themes don’t go into much depth either. It doesn’t have much to say about the fight for gender equality other than it is good. There’s little insight into the attitudes of men and women at the time that lead into this competitive male/female divide and male push back towards women’s rights. I’m troubled by the fact that Bobby Riggs’ portrayal of himself as a self-identified male chauvinist is played largely for laughs. The film posits that Riggs wasn’t particularly sexist, just self-serving and that might be true. But as the film’s mouthpiece for male push back to feminism, it makes the entire topic feel like a joke. As we have become aware by now thanks to things like violent men’s rights groups, the choice to not portray anti-feminist male sentiments as something that can have serious ramifications is displeasing.

This is despite the fact that the film is very much a 1973 period drama by way of the 2010’s. This is one of those period pieces where some things characters say are downright prophetic of future events. Chief among such characters is Alan Cumming as a Billie Jean King’s designer and catty gay friend. He likes to make a lot of cryptic comments about future equality in between just being a very not nuanced portrayal of the gay best friend every woman needs.

Still, the performances in the film are largely good. Stone and Carrell are perfectly serviceable leads. Sarah Silverman steals every scene she’s in without taking you out of the movie. Silverman’s very good at this sort of period drama role. Andrea Risenborough also gives a great performance as King’s love interest, Marilyn. Risenborough’s always great though. She’s a rare actress who I’ve seen in lots of things but still often can’t place when I watch her films. She looks very different project to project and disappears into her roles so completely I can’t recognize her.

Battle of the Sexes needed to hit a little harder to achieve its Academy Awards ambitions. The film isn’t really a comedy but it’s too light to be a drama. It also struggles to have a climax given that we all know how the story ends. Saying all of this, I still liked the movie. It was overall competent, had good performances and a budget. Those three factors alone make it better than most WLW films.

Overall rating: 8.1/10

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