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Previews indicate that "Battle of the Sexes" concerns itself principally with the infamous 1973 tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King.
But this is less a sports movie than a character study -- focusing on King's relationship with her husband and her lesbian lover, and on the more likable Riggs that lay behind all the headline-grabbing braggadocio. Indeed, the well-acted and nicely written film manages to humanize nearly everyone involved -- with the exception of Riggs' earlier opponent, Margaret Court.
Her rancid, one-dimensional snobbishness, plus a rather unnecessary final line from Alan Cumming's character, represent the only moments when this film seems to have an agenda. Most of the time, it simply wants to tell a tale of human drama, and in this it succeeds -- though audiences aren't stampeding to see it.
"Battle's" unimpressive two-week $8 million haul is surprising. Who wouldn't want to see Steve Carell and Emma Stone take on these iconic roles in one of the 20th century's most memorable sporting events?
Carell, an underrated and extremely versatile actor, is sensational as Riggs, capturing both his chauvinism and his charisma, so that we are able to care about him even as we hope Billie Jean can win. Stone doesn't quite submerge her own persona, but hers is nonetheless an excellent performance, especially during her post-match solitude in the locker room. Look for another Oscar nom -- in fact, I think she's better here than she was in "La La Land," for which she won a statue last year.
The veteran Cumming, perhaps most respected for his stage work, is excellent in a few short scenes as King's uniform designer. Ditto Austin Stowell ("Whiplash," "Bridge of Spies") as her husband. And watch for Elizabeth Shue's stellar work as Riggs' long-suffering wife.
I was, however, alarmed by the film's celebration of adultery; in real life, King's affair wasn't quite the storybook romance we see here. Likewise puzzling is "Battle's" staunch refusal to deal with the many allegations that Riggs deliberately threw the match. While no firm conclusions have been reached on that, his shockingly poor play remains a mystery to this day.
I just read a long ESPN piece about this conundrum which didn't purport to resolve the matter; but it certainly offered considerable evidence on both sides. Given the otherwise decent script by Simon Beaufoy (who won an Academy Award for "Slumdog Millionaire," and whose other successes include "Catching Fire" and "127 Hours"), "Battle" could easily have hinted at this in some subtle way.
Still, the most intriguing aspect of that ESPN article was its ending, which tells us that King and Riggs later became good friends -- to the point where she phoned him the day before his death, with both stars affirming their love for each other.
That kind of humanity is well represented in this film.