"Battle Of The Sexes" (2017)

The thing about this movie is that it is grossly mishandled as a feminist movement. It is and it isn't. The "is" part is going to make the "isn't" part irrelevant because of the social climate we're in now.
The idea was that Bobby Riggs challenged Billie Jean King to a match called "Battle of The Sexes." In which 90 million people (yes, most of America) watched. 30,000 of those packed into Houston Astrodome for this. What they didn't tell you is that it wasn't about men versus women. NOPE. Consider that prior to this another match was played in which opened the door for this match. It was another man versus woman one. Didn't nearly draw as much attention. So what ARE we talking about here. It's that women who earn the spotlight NEED to get that similar recognition. Monetarily or otherwise. This isn't a workplace idea. Or that women can do whatever men can do and sometimes better. NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! It's that you can make it so that women CAN be a draw for audiences. And that's exactly what Billie Jean King proved.

Embodied (yes, instead of act) by Emma Stone, she brings a lot of baggage to the tennis world. Having blasted through women's tennis, the breaking point begins with her feeling the grind of inequality in terms of pay. Along with her sponsor/agent/friend Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman) they set out on their own sponsored tour having just been ousted by the national tennis league. While on tour, King meets up with a hairdresser named Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough) that she falls for while still married to her husband. The rest is inconsequential, but the reality is much more tough to sift through as they didn't eventually stay together as the movie doesn't show.

Flip to Bobby Riggs, who if there is a shred of Academy dignity will nominate Steve Carrell. I dare anyone to see the real documented footage of Riggs and Carrell playing Riggs and tell me if there is a difference. It's unbelievable. Carell''s Riggs is a charming, fun gambling addicted man's man. He drinks with the boys of the country club, an unrepentant gambler who attends gambler's anonymous, and goes for notoriety. His fame is fading fast, as he is stuck in a cubicle job given to him by an incredibly patient wife (Elisabeth Shue). He is a decent father to one child, but has an estranged one with a grown child. He is a hustler by nature, but also a kind soul.

Was this a great movie? No. The ultimate win didn't amount to that swell you're suppose to feel. It's a charming one. Because it meant something to the people involved.
Also, fantastic filmmaking. It felt like that era.