Age of The Nerd
Awards season is getting into full swing, and one of the early contenders is the real-life sports drama ‘Battle of the Sexes‘. The film follows the well publicized tennis match between Billie Jean king (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) that was dubbed by the media as the “Battle of the Sexes”. The film seems to tackle gender equality, and is primed to be a major player in this year’s awards race.
The film was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), with a script form Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy. In addition of Carell and Stone, ‘Battle of the Sexes’ stars Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, Natalie Morales, Fred Armisen, Chris Parnell, and Eric Christian Olsen.
In preparation for the movie’s sure-to-be awards run, Fox Searchlight have released two clips and a featurette for the film. Here are the two clips (via EW):
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/X98FeRHXNgE”]#EmmaStone fights for equal pay in this exclusive new clip from @billievsbobby: https://t.co/YNx2Bi2rmZ pic.twitter.com/QpUPypDnl1
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) September 15, 2017
The clips showcase the timely quality of the film, although we’re still not convinced that the film will actually be oscar material. In addition, Fox Searchlight have also released a featurette that gives a little context to the era of the film, and the social change that the “Battle of the Sexes” brought upon for women’s rights int he 1970’s:
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/OtgVIksoXmg”]The film is set to be released only a few days, so make sure to tune back as the first reviews for the film start to trickle out. In the meantime, you can find the first trailer here and the official synopsis for ‘Battle of the Sexes’ below:
In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s World #1 Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men’s-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the Battle of the Sexes and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough) developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue). Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms and boardrooms that continue to reverberate today.
‘Battle of the Sexes’ hits theaters on September 22.
