Red Sparrow is a 2018 spy-thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence who worked with Jennifer Lawrence (the star here) on a couple of the Hunger Games movies, but this is a very different beast. Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova (in, it has to be said, a not entirely convincing Russian accent), and Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenarts and Charlotte Rampling star as the film's secondary characters. This one is a pretty big departure from what Lawrence has done in the past, although it has to be said that she's making some pretty bold career choices. I'm not the first one to say that, and for a good reason: it's true. After last year's Mother! it appeared as if she was trying purposefully trying to appear in more "mature" films, and believe me, it doesn't get much more mature than Red Sparrow. The film plays out like one of those schlocky exploitation from the seventies, in that there's sexual violence, sex, violence, torture, and all manner o
Battle of the Sexes is an American comedy-drama directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who are also behind Little Miss Sunshine and Ruby Sparks. It stars Emma Stone and Steve Carrell. The film recounts the true story of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. He's a self-described "male chauvinist" and a former champion tennis player. She's a campaigner for women's rights, and formed her own tennis championship. Desperate to be back in the limelight, Bobby Riggs tries to convince Billie Jean King to take part in a "Battle of the Sexes," a tennis match which he thinks will prove that men are inherently better at the sport, and therefore women deserved to be paid less.
I'm a very big fan of Ruby Sparks. I enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine less, but even with that film, it was clear that Dayton and Faris have a lot of talent. The writer behind this film, Simon Beaufoy, has worked on a lot of great films like 127 hours and Slumdog Millionaire, so pretty much all of the people involved in this have more skill between them than is reasonable.
I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was expecting it to be a little heavy-handed, and to gloss over the subject matter. Luckily, it doesn't do that. The film is told from the perspective of both the protagonist (Billie Jean King) and the antagonist (Bobby Riggs.) From the get-go, the film has a very clear message: the gender pay gap still exists, and it's wrong. Although that's the overarching theme, Battle of the Sexes delves into the private lives of its characters, and why they did what they did, which is ultimately what makes this film successful.
The performances are brilliant across the board here. Steve Carrell is brilliant as Bobby Riggs. I don't think Emma Stone is quite as good as she was in La La Land, but she is still excellent. Honestly, I've never seen a bad performance from her, and in Battle of the Sexes she's just as captivating as usual. Andrea Riseborough as Marilyn Barnett, King's hairdresser and lover gives a very passionate and engaging performance. On top of that, the costume design is excellent. I was astonished just how much Steve Carrell and Emma Stone look like Riggs and King.
The film also has some beautiful cinematography. One scene that stood out to me was one in which we see Billie Jean King and Barnett courting each other in a nightclub. The mirrors in the place are made to seem kaleidoscopic and dreamlike, and the scenes in which Barnett are dancing are exactly as romantic as they should be, and the score in these parts is also very good.
If I was to criticise this film in any way, it would be that the story falls into the trap of a lot of films that are released around this time do. Towards the end, it feels a little rushed, and all of the tension of the actual tennis match is missing because they spliced the action with footage of people's reactions to it. Of course, that stuff is important, but ideally it'll come before and after the most important piece of drama - not during it.
Still, Battle of the Sexes is a very historically accurate and engaging film, and treats the legacy of Billie Jean King with a lot of respect. The acting is great, and the film has a lot of emotional depth, even if it does dwindle a little bit towards the end.
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