Emma Stone is quickly becoming the Meryl of her time and she is consistently outstanding in this and pretty much every film she stars in as of late. Steve Carell is also perfectly cast as the buffoonish Bobby Riggs. Using the actual audio from the original match (recorded back in 1973) really does show how ingrained the male chauvinism was at that time.

The film plays out like a time capsule of the day and the attention to seventies detail is outstanding. Even including the old style film company logo at the start of the film. It’s these little details that really help to sell the era. As always with works of this ilk, the song selection is spot on and does a more than adequate job of setting the scene.

It’s something that a sports match that took place over forty years ago is so relevant in tone and statement to the events of today. You can watch this film and relate to it just as entertainment or see it as social statement and be more than outraged.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/BattleOfTheSexes

As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each were fighting more personal and complex battles. 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.

Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) and starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming, Andrea Riseborough, Bill Pullman and Jessica McNamee, Battle of the Sexes is in cinemas September 28.