Battle of the Sexes tells the story of Billie Jean King and her epic feminist victory over Bobby Riggs. Emma Stone as Billie Jean is fun to watch, and Steve Carrell does a great job giving Bobby Riggs some humanity. The film focuses on each player’s personal life, and the tennis is secondary. The film is recommended for kids 16+ by Common Sense.
As much fun as it is to watch these two actors, I felt the movie was slightly disappointing but mostly because I’d spent so much time listening to Billie Jean talk about the early days of tennis on a podcast on Fresh Air. Bille Jean was a maverick and her bravery in fighting for her beliefs – from insisting that women be paid as much as men in professional tennis in the early 70s to owning up to her sexuality when she was outed by a former lover, twenty years later.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 09: Emma Stone (R) and Billie Jean King attend the 2017 US Open Women’s Final with Hilary Swank and Philip Schneider at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jackson Lee/WireImage)
