2017 will go down as a year of very underwhelming movies. The nine films nominated for Best Picture were, by far, the poorest collection since 2009, when a decision was made that up to 10 movies could be nominated for Best Picture if they got enough votes. My Top 10 list has three of the nine movies for Best Picture (#5 The Shape of Water, #6 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, #10 Get Out). So it’s hard for me to make a case for my Top 3 (Wind River, Hostiles, Life) receiving a Best Picture Nomination. While great, these movies differ from what the Academy is looking for. But Battle of the Sexes (co-directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) has everything the Academy looks for in a Best Picture nominee. It’s a period piece that looks very much like a period piece. It’s based on a true story and follows that story extremely closely. It has a definite protagonist and a definite antagonist. It has fantastic acting by its leads. It has a strong ensemble cast. It has a little bit of comedy, quite a bit of drama, and quite a bit of unexpected suspense. And its true story changed the course of history. It’s easily the most deserving movie that was not picked by The Academy (most say I, Tonya was the biggest snub), and it’s better and more deserving, in my opinion than all of the selections.
Before I get into the meat and bones of this story, I did not know very much about this story at all. I know there was an exhibition match between Bille Jean King and a man, and it was televised, but I thought it was for entertainment. I had no idea that there were real stakes behind the match. I thought it was a gimmick match. I didn’t know the build-up involved. I never even heard of Bobby Riggs before this movie. I didn’t realize that the man King was facing had he defeated the number one ranked woman in the world (Margaret Court, who had beat King to become number one in the world). And he beat her handily. This was after King had refused Riggs’ offer to play King in a match for $100,000 (he pulled that number out of nowhere).
Riggs (Steve Carell – The 40-Year Old Virgin, The Way, Way Back) is an out-of-control gambler and the ultimate, self-proclaimed male chauvinist. Keep in mind that this movie was set in 1973, and 1973 is very different from 2018. He’s not an evil man, per se. However, he has a major vice and voices what many men thought back in America. And that was that women belonged in the bedroom or the kitchen, men were superior, and men should be entitled to more than women were entitled to. Honestly, it’s enough to anger a good 75% of the audience. While it bothered me, it’s not like this was made up. This was the culture in our country in the ’70s. It sucks. I’m embarrassed by it, but I’m also embarrassed by the way America had treated African Americans before then (and after, for that matter), Muslims, gays, the mentally disabled, and many groups that we that were different or we thought the typical American man was better than. Of course, it has improved since 1973, but we still have a long way to go. But I digress…this post is about my review of the movie and not all of the injustices done by men or Americans over time.
I briefly touched on what I liked about the movie, and that was everything. This movie was mismarketed entirely. I wouldn’t say that I thought this movie was a spoof or a goofy comedy, but I didn’t know it had the depth it had. Heck, it had Steve Carel. And while he has shown his acting chops in movies that aren’t straight comedies (Foxcatcher, Dan in Real Life), he is still known for his goofy comedies before anything else. And then I wondered what kind of chemistry he would have with Emma Stone (La La Land, Crazy, Stupid, Love.), who starred as King. What is crazy is that they had great chemistry with one another, even though they didn’t share the screen much. I’m wondering where to expand on the highlights of this film first. I’ll start with the story incorporating directors Dayton and Faris. The story ebbed and flowed in a way that got us to know King and Riggs equally. King was the world’s #1 or #2 player throughout the movie. She started as #1 but lost that ranking to Court after a match where several events in her personal life sidetracked her.
King is married to Larry (Austin Stowell – Bridge of Spies, Whiplash), a compassionate and supportive husband who shows he’s a good man by often masking his personal feelings not to distract his wife from the tour or to make her feel bad about herself. Early in the film, we discover that King is attracted to other women. She meets hairstylist Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough – Nocturnal Animals, Birdman) after she and a number of the other women start a new tour that is sponsored by Virginia Slims (one of the storylines of the film is how the best players in the world start their tour and are kicked out of the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association because they are not getting the same pay that men earn. And the smashing of Riggs over Court proves, to some, that men are the superior physical sex and are entitled to more money. No one is a bigger proponent of men getting paid more than women than a very unlikeable Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman – Independence Day, USA’s The Sinner), a former player turned commentator who is not afraid to voice his opinions. The more King hears people like Kramer and Riggs speak, the angrier she becomes. She spends the night with Barnett quickly after they meet. It’s her first experience with a woman and the first time she cheats on her husband. This is another subplot line of King hiding her same-sex attraction feelings because they could damage her career. A few people learn of the relationship, which threatens to expose her.
Eventually, the two set a date for the match, and the promotion for it is insane. The match is set to be played at the Houston Astrodome, and it’s set to have the largest crowd ever for a tennis match. King works her tail off preparing for the match, while Riggs takes his training lightly after having no problem defeating Court. Riggs is married to Priscilla (Elizabeth Shue – Leaving Las Vegas, Adventures in Babysitting). And by all counts, he’s a pretty good husband. It’s ironic because he seems to disrespect women and how some things that come out of his mouth about women would be enough to get many wives to leave their men. And outside of his chauvinistic statements, he also has a major gambling addiction. His gambling addiction is as bad as it can get in terms of the bets he makes (though maybe not the amounts). At one point at a Gambler’s Annonymous Meeting, he tells people they are there not because they have a gambling problem but because they are terrible. Riggs was a decent man with two significant flaws. And because of them, he embarrassed himself and his family. He was the perfect counter to King, who did things right and made you want to cheer for her. She was as likable in this role as Mia in La La Land but in a completely different way. She was a carefree dreamer in that movie whose dreams were constantly squashed. She is perhaps the most established and recognized female athlete globally and still has that same appeal.
The match itself, to me, was riveting. As I mentioned, I did not know the state or see the result. I felt the same when I watched classic sports movies like Hoosiers, Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans, For Love of the Game, Glory Road, Coach Carter, Miracle, and others. That’s how captivated I was. Watching movies at home makes it very easy for me to get distracted. But for Battle of the Sexes, I never was. I automatically think of Michael Scott in the office when I think of Steve Carell. To me, Michael Scott is the funniest character in television history. I love that show, and I love that character. I wondered if I would ever be able to see him outside of that goofy role. And movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Evan Almighty, and Date Night were just variations of that character. But when he starred in Little Miss Sunshine, you could see that there was something more. And he went on to further that with dramedies like Dan in Real Life and The Way, Way Back. I never thought I’d be able to take him seriously in a straight drama like Foxcatcher, but I did. He succeeded in escaping a typecast that so many others could not escape. Even in a movie like this, which is almost equal in comedy (though not deadpan comedy) as it is drama, I sometimes forgot that it was Carell playing this character. And that’s always the sign of a good actor.
And certainly not to be outdone was Stone as King. In a year that had some outstanding lead performances by actresses, Stone was the one who was the most forgotten about. Four of this year’s five Oscar nominations were very deserving. I think Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), and Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) were deserving. I did not think Meryl Streep (The Post) should have been the fifth. Until this movie, the nod should have gone to Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game) and Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World) in the discussion. Stone’s performances vaulted her past both Chastain and Williams, and she is the one who should have received the fifth nomination. The true story aspect is undoubtedly a factor, but she played the part perfectly. I cannot think of a better portrayal of King. And she nailed the highs and lows of the character and all of the complexities involved.
Battle of the Sexes was the snub of 2017. It had everything that The Academy wants in a Best Picture nominee. It’s especially disappointing in a year in which five of the nine movies probably should not have even been nominated. This was also one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. It’s the biggest surprise, as I had no interest in seeing this after its series of trailers. But this movie told an incredible story, was extremely well-acted, and had me feeling very emotional and energized, often at the same time. I recommend this for all to see.
Plot 10/10
Character Development 9.5/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 9.5/10
Directing 9.5/10
Cinematography 10/10 (this showed 1973 in a way that made me glad I wasn’t born yet…the costumes, the trendy hair designs, the drab interior designs of houses, everything)
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 10/10 (I was entertained from the start and cheered for each point scored like I was watching the 5th set of Federer vs. Nadal at The French Open)
Universal Relevance 10/10
95.5
I almost slept on this movie because I didn’t know enough about it and was not moved to see it from its uninteresting trailers. However, I’m glad I didn’t. This is the best movie that should have received Oscar buzz but did not receive any.
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