Battle of the Sexes
The 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King, women’s champion, and Bobby Riggs, ex-champ, and serial hustler, was known as THE BATTLE OF SEXES. It reached 90 million viewers worldwide and became the most watched television sports event of all time. King and Riggs were waging more complex and personal battles off the court as their rivalry intensified. As her friendship developed with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough), the fiercely private King wasn’t only fighting for equality but was also trying to reconcile her sexuality. Riggs was one of the first media-age celebrity self-made. He battled his gambling addictions at the expense his wife Priscilla Shue (Elisabeth Shue). Billie, Bobby, and their cultural show were a spectacle beyond the court. It sparked discussions that still reverberate in boardrooms and bedrooms today. –Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Actors: Alan Cumming, Andrea Riseborough, Bill Pullman, Elisabeth Shue, Emma Stone, Sarah Silverman, Steve Carell
Country: United Kingdom, United States
