Movie review
September 22, 2017 · 121 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Battle of the Sexes.
Woke representation / casting
The main cast aligns closely with the real historical figures (Emma Stone as white Billie Jean King, Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs). Supporting roles largely follow the period tennis players and associates without prominent mismatches, quota-style emphasis, or marketing that highlighted identity casting over story fit. Diversity appears incidental to the 1970s setting and real events rather than audience-visible signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Key scenes depict 1970s arguments over unequal prize money and statements that women's tennis was inferior, drawn from real confrontations with promoters. These are presented as period conflicts central to the equal-pay fight. The film avoids heavy modern activist language or lectures; dialogue serves the historical drama and character goals.
Identity-driven story themes
The core story centers on the fight for gender fairness and equal treatment in sports as a public battle against male-dominated structures. A substantial portion of King's personal arc involves her secret romantic relationship with a woman (Marilyn Barnett) and the conflict of loving who she loved while married and in the public eye during an era of high risk. Creators explicitly linked the public gender battle to private battles over fairness and acceptance; queer elements are visible, sympathetically portrayed, and intertwined with the injustice themes.
Review
The 2017 movie dramatizes the 1973 tennis match between world number one women's player Billie Jean King and former champion Bobby Riggs, a hustler who issued a public challenge claiming any man could beat the top woman. It covers King's real push with other female players to form their own tour after facing much lower prize money from male promoters and the U.S. tennis establishment. The story also follows King's marriage and her secret romantic relationship with a woman, which she hid due to the career and sponsorship risks in that era.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film shows the male-led tennis establishment resisting equal pay and the women's tour, with specific examples of large prize gaps and dismissive attitudes from figures like promoter Jack Kramer. It depicts 1970s public chauvinism (including media figures) as something to challenge through King's determination. The critique stays grounded in the 1973 events and characters rather than broad modern reframing of patriarchy, capitalism, or Western institutions; some reviews noted it humanizes male characters like Riggs instead of making them pure villains.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film is loosely based on real 1973 events and people. Main facts (the match, equal-pay fight, outcome, and King's personal circumstances) track historical record, with standard dramatization and compression for storytelling. No clear identity-driven or DEI-style alterations to historical figures or events.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Isolated online comments, Reddit discussions, and occasional reviews have dismissed the film as feminist propaganda, part of a gay agenda, or an unnecessary project pushing gender politics decades later. A few viewers tied it to broader cultural shifts or criticized its timing and framing. No evidence of major coordinated backlash, boycotts, or dominant news coverage treating it as activist content; complaints remain fringe or individual.
Creator track record context
Writer Simon Beaufoy has a pattern of class-conscious and underdog stories (The Full Monty on economic hardship and masculinity, Slumdog Millionaire on poverty and opportunity) plus long humanitarian volunteering with mental health charity Samaritans; he frames narratives around fairness. Directors Dayton and Faris have roots in character-focused indie work with occasional social notes. Producer Danny Boyle has voiced left-leaning views and cultural sensitivities. The group shows mild classical liberal or humanist leanings more than recurring identity, DEI, queer activism, or representation-first patterns. The choice of this story adds modest weight.
Production
