Battle of the Sexes

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Battle of the Sexes

PG-13

2017

2h 1m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

313 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

The 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs became the most watched televised sports event of all time. Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposites sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With her husband urging her to fight for equal pay, the private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past.

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Critics Consensus

Battle of the Sexes turns real-life events into a crowd-pleasing, well-acted dramedy that ably entertains while smartly serving up a volley of present-day parallels.

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Heather Hogan

Autostraddle

Jul 2, 2018

It's a sports movie, complete with breathless action sequences, overwrought crowd reactions, and a soaring score. It's a biopic about a legend. And it's one of the best lesbian films I've ever seen.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Dec 1, 2017

4/5

At 121 minutes, Battle of the Sexes occasionally drags, but it's the Hairy Legged Feminist-Male Chauvinist Pig showdown that we needed right now.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Nov 29, 2017

The film is not unsuccessful, as it's mostly entertaining enough, and if the gender politics seem oversimplified, there are reminders of some real-life commentaries.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Feb 16, 2024

4/5

Injecting earnest drama and profundity into the tried-and-true sports movie formula, directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton have crafted a gratifying yarn packed with contagious enthusiasm.

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Brian T. Carney

Washington Blade

Dec 14, 2022

Andrea Riseborough is great as Billie Jean’s first girlfriend and Austin Stowall and Elisabeth Shue turn in fine performances as their conflicted spouses.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 17, 2022

3/4

Fortunately, the film never becomes a hype machine or gets caught up in the bizarre media circus around the central match. The concentration remains on the players and the emotional stakes, as well as what King's victory represents.

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Henry D

@Henry_Domke Mar 22, 2026

A well-made look at an early moment in the women’s liberation movement, along with a glimpse into same-sex relationships at a time when they were still largely hidden. The sets and costumes did a great job capturing the feel of the 1970s without calling attention to themselves. As always, Emma Stone stood out and was very appealing.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Mar 9, 2026

This was a tremendous story about men vs women. Billy vs Bobby played brilliantly by stone and carell. I knew nothing about this but I think at least in tennis this should be a yearly thing. The age difference aside Billy showed great courage in taking on Bobby and not only defeating him but showing women can compete with men in certain sports. Tim Treakle

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Dec 26, 2025

Tremendous cast, groovy 70s aesthetic and a wacky hinge point in equality. An easy, fun watch. Glad it played out the right way.

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Sandro C

@Katsu_689 Nov 25, 2025

Its hard for me to like a main character who cheats on her husband.

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Julia L

@RT49852304 Jun 30, 2025

A brilliant film which will stay with you.

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kevenquinlan T

@RT75276071 May 20, 2025

Great Movie. I was there for the actual event- they completely Nailed the environment and Times. Emma's great in everything, Pullman was great, Steve Carell is such a fun actor to watch- always nice seeing him in anything. As easy add to any collection regardless of historical relevance. I was watching it an it ended so quickly- I enjoyed all of it.

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Valerie Faris

Director

Jonathan Dayton

Director

Emma Stone

Billie Jean King

Steve Carell

Bobby Riggs

Andrea Riseborough

Marilyn Barnett

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Synopsis

The 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs became the most watched televised sports event of all time. Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposites sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With her husband urging her to fight for equal pay, the private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past.

Director: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton
Producer: Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Robert Graf
Screenwriter: Simon Beaufoy
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Cloud Eight, Decibel Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sexual Content|Partial Nudity)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.6M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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