Battle of the Sexes

Play trailer

1:50

Battle of the Sexes

PG-13

2017

2h 1m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

313 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

The 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs became the most watched televised sports event of all time. Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposites sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With her husband urging her to fight for equal pay, the private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Battle of the Sexes turns real-life events into a crowd-pleasing, well-acted dramedy that ably entertains while smartly serving up a volley of present-day parallels.

Read Critics Reviews

Heather Hogan

Autostraddle

07/02/2018

It's a sports movie, complete with breathless action sequences, overwrought crowd reactions, and a soaring score. It's a biopic about a legend. And it's one of the best lesbian films I've ever seen.

Go to Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

12/01/2017

4/5

At 121 minutes, Battle of the Sexes occasionally drags, but it's the Hairy Legged Feminist-Male Chauvinist Pig showdown that we needed right now.

Go to Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

11/29/2017

The film is not unsuccessful, as it's mostly entertaining enough, and if the gender politics seem oversimplified, there are reminders of some real-life commentaries.

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

02/16/2024

4/5

Injecting earnest drama and profundity into the tried-and-true sports movie formula, directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton have crafted a gratifying yarn packed with contagious enthusiasm.

Go to Full Review

Brian T. Carney

Washington Blade

12/14/2022

Andrea Riseborough is great as Billie Jean’s first girlfriend and Austin Stowall and Elisabeth Shue turn in fine performances as their conflicted spouses.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/17/2022

3/4

Fortunately, the film never becomes a hype machine or gets caught up in the bizarre media circus around the central match. The concentration remains on the players and the emotional stakes, as well as what King's victory represents.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Henry D

@Henry_Domke Mar 22

A well-made look at an early moment in the women’s liberation movement, along with a glimpse into same-sex relationships at a time when they were still largely hidden. The sets and costumes did a great job capturing the feel of the 1970s without calling attention to themselves. As always, Emma Stone stood out and was very appealing.

See more

Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Mar 9

This was a tremendous story about men vs women. Billy vs Bobby played brilliantly by stone and carell. I knew nothing about this but I think at least in tennis this should be a yearly thing. The age difference aside Billy showed great courage in taking on Bobby and not only defeating him but showing women can compete with men in certain sports. Tim Treakle

See more

Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Dec 26

Tremendous cast, groovy 70s aesthetic and a wacky hinge point in equality. An easy, fun watch. Glad it played out the right way.

See more

Sandro C

@Katsu_689 Nov 25

Its hard for me to like a main character who cheats on her husband.

See more

Julia L

@RT49852304 06/30/2025

A brilliant film which will stay with you.

See more

kevenquinlan T

@RT75276071 05/20/2025

Great Movie. I was there for the actual event- they completely Nailed the environment and Times. Emma's great in everything, Pullman was great, Steve Carell is such a fun actor to watch- always nice seeing him in anything. As easy add to any collection regardless of historical relevance. I was watching it an it ended so quickly- I enjoyed all of it.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Valerie Faris

Director

Jonathan Dayton

Director

Emma Stone

Billie Jean King

Steve Carell

Bobby Riggs

Andrea Riseborough

Marilyn Barnett

Natalie Morales

Rosie Casals

The Upside

43%

81%

The Upside

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Upside

Please Stand By

58%

70%

Please Stand By

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Please Stand By

Ricki and the Flash

64%

43%

Ricki and the Flash

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Ricki and the Flash

Joy

61%

57%

Joy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Joy

Green Book

77%

92%

Green Book

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Green Book

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Pride Month Calendar 2022: TV and Streaming Shows and Movies Celebrating LGBTQ+ Voices

SAG Awards 2018 Winners — Full List

2018 Critics’ Choice Award Winners Announced

Battle of the Sexes: Trailer 1

1:50

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs became the most watched televised sports event of all time. Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposites sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With her husband urging her to fight for equal pay, the private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past.

Director: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton
Producer: Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Robert Graf
Screenwriter: Simon Beaufoy
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Cloud Eight, Decibel Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sexual Content|Partial Nudity)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.6M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)