Overview
A historic tennis match becomes a cultural phenomenon, challenging gender norms and personal identities.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- uplifting
- warm
- sports movie night
- feminist film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film crowd-pleasing and well acted, using an entertaining true story to address gender equality and present-day social parallels.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The 1973 tennis match is staged as mass entertainment while functioning as a national debate over women's rights.
Billie Jean King champions equality in public while privately navigating her sexuality and relationship with Marilyn Barnett.
The film emphasizes televised tennis, publicity campaigns, flamboyant promotional events, and the media construction of Bobby Riggs.
The story foregrounds unequal pay, dismissive tennis authorities, and the women's movement surrounding King's career.
Films like Battle of the Sexes, and why
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Like Battle of the Sexes, it is a crowd-pleasing biographical sports drama about an athlete challenging entrenched institutional prejudice.
Eddie the Eagle
Both are witty, accessible true-story sports films centered on a public contest that carries broader cultural stakes.
A League of Their Own
Both combine a period sports spectacle with feminist themes, personal pressure, and a charismatic central performance.
I, Tonya
Both are polished biographical dramas about public figures navigating fame, identity, and social expectations.
Movie Details
- Directors
- Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton
- Release Date
- 2017-09-22
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (1994)
Cast
- Emma Stone
- Steve Carell
- Andrea Riseborough
- Sarah Silverman
- Bill Pullman
- Elisabeth Shue
- Alan Cumming
- Austin Stowell
- Eric Christian Olsen
- Natalie Morales
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Battle of the Sexes about?
- A spirited 1970s tennis rivalry becomes a personal and cultural showdown over gender equality, sexuality, fame, and self-determination.
- What is Battle of the Sexes like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Battle of the Sexes as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Battle of the Sexes violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Battle of the Sexes.
- What did critics think of Battle of the Sexes?
- Critics broadly found the film crowd-pleasing and well acted, using an entertaining true story to address gender equality and present-day social parallels.
- Which films are like Battle of the Sexes?
- Films with a similar feel include The Greatest Game Ever Played, Eddie the Eagle, A League of Their Own, and I, Tonya.
- How long is Battle of the Sexes?
- Battle of the Sexes runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Battle of the Sexes?
- In United States, Battle of the Sexes streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
