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IMDbPro

Battle of the Sexes

  • 2017
  • PG-13
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
57K
YOUR RATING
Elisabeth Shue, Bill Pullman, Steve Carell, Sarah Silverman, and Emma Stone in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.
Play trailer2:23
26 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyComedyDrama

The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.

  • Directors
    • Jonathan Dayton
    • Valerie Faris
  • Writer
    • Simon Beaufoy
  • Stars
    • Emma Stone
    • Steve Carell
    • Andrea Riseborough
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    57K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Jonathan Dayton
      • Valerie Faris
    • Writer
      • Simon Beaufoy
    • Stars
      • Emma Stone
      • Steve Carell
      • Andrea Riseborough
    • 204User reviews
    • 285Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 25 nominations

    Videos26

    New Trailer
    Trailer 2:23
    Watch New Trailer
    Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch Trailer #1
    Battle of the Sexes
    Trailer 1:52
    Watch Battle of the Sexes
    Marilyn
    Clip 0:48
    Watch Marilyn
    Press Release
    Clip 1:36
    Watch Press Release
    Press Conference
    Clip 0:59
    Watch Press Conference
    Not Interested
    Clip 0:57
    Watch Not Interested
    Battle Of The Sexes: Press Conference
    Clip 0:59
    Watch Battle Of The Sexes: Press Conference
    Battle Of The Sexes: Not Interested
    Clip 0:55
    Watch Battle Of The Sexes: Not Interested
    Battle Of The Sexes: Marilyn
    Clip 0:48
    Watch Battle Of The Sexes: Marilyn
    Battle Of The Sexes: The Lobber Vs The Libber (Featurette)
    Featurette 1:41
    Watch Battle Of The Sexes: The Lobber Vs The Libber (Featurette)
    Battle Of The Sexes: The Mouth (Featurette)
    Featurette 1:41
    Watch Battle Of The Sexes: The Mouth (Featurette)

    Photos127

    Elisabeth Shue, Steve Carell, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, and Cooper J. Friedman in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Alan Cumming and Wallace Langham in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Emma Stone and Andrea Riseborough in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Linus Sandgren and Emma Stone in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Jonathan Dayton, Emma Stone, and Andrea Riseborough in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, and Mickey Sumner in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Steve Carell, Eric Christian Olsen, and Lewis Pullman in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Emma Stone in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Emma Stone and Natalie Morales in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Emma Stone and Andrea Riseborough in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Sarah Silverman, Mickey Sumner, and Austin Stowell in Battle of the Sexes (2017)
    Steve Carell in Battle of the Sexes (2017)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Emma Stone
    Emma Stone
    • Billie Jean King
    Steve Carell
    Steve Carell
    • Bobby Riggs
    Andrea Riseborough
    Andrea Riseborough
    • Marilyn Barnett
    Sarah Silverman
    Sarah Silverman
    • Gladys Heldman
    Natalie Morales
    Natalie Morales
    • Rosie Casals
    Bill Pullman
    Bill Pullman
    • Jack Kramer
    Alan Cumming
    Alan Cumming
    • Cuthbert 'Ted' Tinling
    Elisabeth Shue
    Elisabeth Shue
    • Priscilla Riggs
    Eric Christian Olsen
    Eric Christian Olsen
    • Lornie Kuhle
    Fred Armisen
    Fred Armisen
    • Rheo Blair
    Martha MacIsaac
    Martha MacIsaac
    • Jane 'Peaches' Bartkowicz
    Lauren Kline
    • Nancy Richey
    Mickey Sumner
    Mickey Sumner
    • Valerie Ziegenfuss
    Fidan Manashirova
    • Judy Tegart Dalton
    Jessica McNamee
    Jessica McNamee
    • Margaret Court
    Ashley Weinhold
    Ashley Weinhold
    • Kristy Pigeon
    Austin Stowell
    Austin Stowell
    • Larry King
    Wallace Langham
    Wallace Langham
    • Henry
    • Directors
      • Jonathan Dayton
      • Valerie Faris
    • Writer
      • Simon Beaufoy
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In 1973, Billie Jean King was 29 and Bobby Riggs was 55. At the time of filming, Emma Stone was 28 and Steve Carell was 54.
    • Goofs
      While Billie Jean King was having an intimate relationship with Marilyn Barnett during the "Battle of the Sexes", Barnett was not a hairdresser King met by chance. Barnett was King's secretary.
    • Quotes

      Cuthbert 'Ted' Tinling: Times change. You should know you just changed them. Someday we will be free to be who we are and love who we love. But now... It's time to join the dance.

    • Crazy credits
      The Fox Searchlight Pictures and TSG Entertainment logos are redone in period-appropriate styles.
    • Connections
      Edited from Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King: Tennis Battle of the Sexes (1973)
    • Soundtracks
      Movie House Theme
      Written and Performed by Nicholas Britell

    User reviews204

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Tennis and Sex, but without the grunting.
    Here's a good test of someone's age.... ask the question "Billie-Jean?". Millennials will probably come back with "Huh?"; those in their 30's or 40's might come back with "Michael Jackson!"; those older than that will probably reply "King!".

    "Battle of the Sexes" tells the true-life story of US tennis star Billie-Jean King (Emma Stone, "La La Land"). The year is 1973 and Billie-Jean is riding high as the Number 1 female tennis player. She is a feminist; she is married (to hunk Larry - no not that one - King played by Austin Stowell ("Whiplash", "Bridge of Spies")); ... and she is also attracted to women, not something she has yet acted on. That all changes when her path crosses with LA-hairdresser Marilyn (Andrea Riseborough, "Birdman", "Oblivion").

    But this is a side story: the main event is a bet made by aging ex-star Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"); that - even at his age - as a man he could beat the leading female tennis player of the day.

    The film is gloriously retro, starting with the old-school 20th Century Fox production logo. And it contains breathtakingly sexist dialogue by writer Simon Beaufoy ("Everest", "The Full Monty"). Surely men couldn't have been so crass and outrageous in the 70's? Sorry ladies, but the answer is yes, and the film is testament to how far women's rights have come in 50 years.

    This is a tour de force in acting from both Emma Stone and Steve Carell, particularly the latter: a scene where Carell tries to re-engage with his estranged wife (Elisabeth Shue, "Leaving Las Vegas") is both nuanced and heart-breaking. Stone's performance is also praiseworthy, although it feels slightly less so as it is an impersonation of a (relatively) well-known figure: this is extremely well-studied though, right down to her strutting walk around the court which I had both forgotten and was immediately again reminded of.

    One of my favourite movie awards are the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) "cast" awards that celebrate ensemble performances, and here is a film that should have been nominated (it unfortunately wasn't). Andrea Riseborough; Natalie Morales (as fellow tennis player Rosie Casals); comedian Sarah Silverman ("A Million Ways to Die in the West"), almost unrecognisable as the brash publicist Gladys Heldman; Bill Pullman as LTA head Jack Kramer; the great Alan Cumming ("The Good Wife") as the team's flamboyant, gay, costume designer; Lewis Pullman as Riggs's son Larry; Jessica McNamee (magnetic eyes!) as King's Australian tennis nemesis Margaret Court. All bounce off the leads, and each other, just beautifully.

    Cinematography by Linus Sandgren ("La La Land") and editing by Pamela Martin ("Little Miss Sunshine") unite to deliver one of the most sexually charged haircuts you are ever likely to see on the screen. For those put off by this aspect of the storyline, the "girl-on-girl action" is pretty tastefully done and not overly graphic: it's mostly "first-base" stuff rather than "third-base"!

    Directed with panache by the co-directors of the 2006 smash "Little Miss Sunshine" - Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris - all in all it's a delight, especially for older audiences who will get a blast of nostalgia from days when sports were still played at a slightly more leisurely pace... and definitely without the grunting.

    (For the graphical review please visit bob-the-movie-man.com or One Mann's Movies on Facebook. Thanks).
    helpful•29
    23
    • bob-the-movie-man
    • Dec 19, 2017

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 29, 2017 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook (United Kingdom)
      • Official Instagram
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Battle of the Sexes
    • Filming locations
      • Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites - 404 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA(Hotel where Marylin & Larry run into each other in the elevator)
    • Production companies
      • Cloud Eight Films
      • Decibel Films
      • Searchlight Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $12,638,526
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $518,332
      • Sep 24, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $18,598,607
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 1 minute
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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