Movie · 2017 · Drama, Comedy, History · 2h 1m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 6.4/10 (65.2K ratings)
He made a bet. She made history.
Overview
The true story of the 1973 tennis match between world number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.4/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Metacritic: 73
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Production
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Decibel Films, Cloud Eight Films, Ingenious Media
Cast
Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Elisabeth Shue, Alan Cumming, Austin Stowell, Eric Christian Olsen, Natalie Morales, Lewis Pullman, Jessica McNamee, Martha MacIsaac, Wallace Langham, Mark Harelik, Fred Armisen, Chris Parnell, John C. McGinley, Mickey Sumner, Bridey Elliott
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, crowd-pleasing sports biopic with a sharper political and queer undercurrent than its marketing suggests. It works best as a character piece about public pressure, private identity, and the spectacle of gender politics in the early 1970s.
Best for
viewers who like inspirational true stories with a light comedic touch
fans of sports dramas that double as social-history films
audiences interested in queer-coded or queer-centered period stories
people who enjoy polished, accessible ensemble performances
Skip if
you want a deeply technical tennis film
you prefer strictly serious, prestige biopics without tonal playfulness
you are looking for a fully centered romance rather than a subtext-rich character drama
Overview
Battle of the Sexes is less interested in tennis mechanics than in the cultural theater surrounding the match. The film uses the 1973 showdown as a pressure cooker for celebrity, sexism, media manipulation, and the exhausting performance of public identity, while keeping the tone nimble and approachable.
Worth noting
Emma Stone gives Billie Jean King a guarded warmth that makes the character’s private awakening feel lived-in rather than schematic. Steve Carell leans into Bobby Riggs as a showman who understands that provocation is its own kind of power, and the film smartly lets the rivalry feel both absurd and consequential.
Bottom line
What lingers most is the movie’s sense that history is made not only on the court but in the spaces around it: locker rooms, hotel rooms, press conferences, and quiet moments of self-recognition. It’s a polished, emotionally accessible period piece that lands its politics through momentum rather than sermonizing.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Lucy (3.5★) · 2490 likes
a soft gay love story marketed as a goofy steve carell comedy drama about tennis
Stephanie (3★) · 1972 likes
Billie Jean King: *has sex with a girl for the first time*Me: god I wish that were me
Billie Jean King: *drives down the California coast, flirting with the girl she likes, wind in their hair, listening to music*Me: god I wish...
Billie Jean King: *holds that girl's hand, kisses her tenderly*Me: god.............
Sarah (3.5★) · 1639 likes
Emma Stone saw Moonlight’s gay ass snatch that best picture oscar right outta her hand and thought “a bitch won’t be fooled again!”
samantha (4.5★) · 1422 likes
there is no gay agenda like emma stone kissing a girl and then kicking a misogynist’s ass
andrea🌹 (4★) · 1407 likes
male reviewers rlly out here rating this movie poorly and calling it a 'crowdpleaser' huh what can i say i am the crowd and i sure was pleased
2010 · Drama · 1h 56m · R · Curator 7.6/10 (688.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A sports biopic with lively family dynamics, public pressure, and a strong sense of working through conflict toward a larger moment.
Topics
sports drama, period piece, LGBTQ+, feminist, biographical, 1970s, crowd-pleaser, competition, coming-of-age, historical drama