In our world today we are seeing more and more movies come out about movements for better causes. This is exactly what the film “Battle of the Sexes” tried to advocate. It is a remarkable story of a in the closet lesbian woman tennis star who is battling not only for the right to be accepted but, also trying to get equal pay for women in the 70’s.
Billie Jean King played by Emma Stone is a pioneer of many sorts however, the film lacked solid depth to her character. Viewing this picture I wanted a more in honest portrayal of the hardship she went through as a gay woman trying to live an honest life in a time of turmoil. As the best female player in the world she is challenged by ex tennis star Bobby Riggs to a match for 100,000 dollars. With no flashbacks in the picture if an audience member went into the movie not knowing anything about Billie Jean and her story they would be completely lost. The directors missed a giant opportunity to show us how hard it was to be not only gay member of society in a time like this but also a female.
The directors also missed a huge chance to show how bad women were treated by men. During the movie we saw glimpses of Bobby Riggs played by Steve Carrell degrading women in the media leading up to his match with King, unfortunately it lacked showing how cruel men truly were, leaving the viewer wanting more.
Overall with a story like this the movie lacked depth and character development, leaving me a bit dumbfounded leaving the theatre. With a cast like this and the budget they had, overall a disappointment.
5/10
Former professional hockey player. Aspiring satirist and radio personality.
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