Battle of the Sexes

With the tagline "He made a bet. She made history," the story of tennis's gender issues are entertainingly outlined in this colourful take on the historic match between women's tennis great Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men's champion Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). In 1970s America, equality was a novel concept and the whole country loved the idea of a contest between the genders. In 1973, showy tennis hustler Riggs became part of a media circus by claiming that he would beat any of the world's top women players. Step up Billie Jean King, a woman's world number one determined to prove him wrong. Little Miss Sunshine directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris keep the tone perky and light, showing the irony of a tennis team sponsored by a woman's cigarette along with the well-lit interiors of Riggs's unhappy marriage and King's attraction to a female hairdresser (Andrea Riseborough). Is it historically accurate? It doesn't matter: this sparky feature captures everything you need to know about the period's injustices - and also its sense of humour - and Carell and Stone perform with energy and sincerity.