DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) STARRING Holly Hunter as BILLIE JEAN KING Ron Silver as BOBBY RIGGS Matt Letscher as LARRY KING Bob Gunton as JERRY PERENCHIO Jacqueline McKenzie as MARGARET COURT Rated PG Studio: Miramax/Alliance Atlantis Directed by: Jane Anderson Back to DVD Review Home |
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In the realm of gender politics, everyone’s heard of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. However, as time keeps slipping into the future, fewer and fewer of us actually remember them.
The famous match between these two tennis players took place in 1973. I was two years old. Although I do remember Bobby Riggs blasting his mouth off in subsequent years on television, I don’t remember much about him - except that my mother thought he was an ass. So, I come to “When Billie Beat Bobby” from a unique perspective. I know all about the match, but I never actually watched it or was a part of the social phenomenon.
“When Billie Beat Bobby” is a Billie Jean King fluff piece disguised as a historical account of the famous tennis Battle of the Sexes. It’s also a somewhat humorous movie. Director Jane Anderson has a lot of fun with the characters and the backdrop of the 1970s. The fashions are outrageous, and the characters are all larger than life. But too often, the humor is stifled by an overbearing message.
For someone like me who grew up post-women’s-lib, it all seems rather silly. I don’t remember the days of women’s lib struggle. I don’t remember the time when women were only in the home. With very few exceptions, in almost every job I have had throughout my life, I have reported to a woman. I guess this film represents a skewed perception of the time, but really it also reminds me that the drugs must have really, really been good back in the 70s.
“When Billie Beat Bobby” is cute. It’s not a great film, and it doesn’t break down any doors. In fact, looking back on the whole thing, it becomes apparent how absolutely ridiculous the whole thing was. Sure, Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs. But aside from breaking through the idea that no woman could ever beat a man, this wasn’t that great of a feat. Bobby Riggs was a has-been player who was twice her age. If she had beaten John McEnroe or Bjonn Bjorg, that really would have been something.
But the last time I checked, in the world of sports “Tennis” is played by men and “Women’s Tennis” is played by women. That’s not a chauvinistic statement. Check your ESPN listings, folks.
That also doesn’t mean that the stars of women’s tennis aren’t good. Serena Williams could beat me any day of the week on the court. (And she could probably take me in a bar room brawl as well.) But until men and women are actually given the same league and the same playing field, things will never be equal.
I happen to compete in a sport in which women are given equal measure: competitive eating. (And yes, it’s a sport. If you don’t believe me, go to www.ifoce.com and read more about it.) The best competitor in America is a woman - Sonya Thomas. This 100-lb. Virginian can chew her way through a Buick. And the men in the sport, while emasculated by her, have nothing but respect for her. Dare I say that this strange sport of competitive eating is far more progressive and liberated than anything else out there today.
Ultimately, “When Billie Beat Bobby” tries to make Billie Jean King a greater hero than she really was. She’s flawless in this movie - a veritable Norma Rae for the tennis world. And Bobby Riggs is just plain evil. There’s no middle ground in this film... but then again, what do you expect from a movie with this title?
Specifications: Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French language track. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
