When Billie Beat Bobby (2001)

Just perfect...

A Masterpiece!

A Major Disappointment

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This movie (which I bought on DVD, having missed the initial TV run) takes a decidedly tongue-in-cheek approach to the legendary King/Riggs "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match...which is totally appropriate! Silver and Hunter do a magnificent job of portraying the combatants, who actually cared for each other and had no ill will towards the other. The movie does a fine job of showing that their "battle" was co-opted by others, rather than by anything they actually did (though both rode the hype to their own successes).In addition, the movie is a hoot. King's nightmare sequences are absolutely comical, and you can actually feel Riggs' bewilderment with his "hustle" that has gone completely beyond his wildest dreams, as well as spun out of his control. And, the tennis playing is quite 'serviceable', to excuse the poorly adapted pun. Also, the historical accuracy is commendable (many forget that Riggs thumped Margaret Court before playing King--an event well adapted here, as well), and ABC file footage of the event is inter-spaced nicely.The ONLY real criticism is the use of Fred Willard as Howard Cosell. He makes NO attempt to be anything except good ol' Fred with plastic hair (not even Howard's rug looked THAT bad), and every appearance of him on screen leaves one wondering, "WHY??" A definite drag on what was otherwise an excellent production.

A big surprise. One of Ron Silver´s best ever. Magnificent work with his caracter. Good one for Holly Hunter. The director has made a Very good piece with very little. A fine entertainment for everyone. I recomend this one.

One of the worst sports films in a long time, When Billy Beat Bobby is a mutant of a movie. Unevenly waffling between drama and comedy, fact and farce, it takes a fairly normal subject--a famous tennis match--and makes a weird mini-spectacle of it.Completely miscast, Holly Hunter doesn't quite fit into Billy Jean King's tennis shoes, she looks too strange and unnatural--as if she should have been in Hannibal instead (The muscular character Margot Verger was omitted from the horror flick for fear of offending certain women). Ron Silver broadly overacts as Bobby Riggs, has too close a resemblance to Austin Powers, and sounds too much like Sylvester the Cat. Fred Willard as a TV sportscaster helps only to skew the film into Fernwood 2-Night territory, and every other person is reduced to a sexist/racist/handicapped/ethnic caricature.The story and style is clumsy and unsteady. Is it trying to be Rocky, the Karate Kid, or When Harry Met Sally? When Billie Beat Bobby does not know what it wants to be. The 1970's setting seems to come out of an old Mad magazine, and everyone looks and acts grotesque as if they were directed by David Lynch, or John Waters-lite. The fake-Stanley Kubrick technique breaks into bits of sports-film cliche, bits of nostalgic kitsch, bits of comic exaggeration, and other odd bits that don't move, fit or jive. It has about as much respect tennis-players as a black-face minstrel show has for African-Americans.What it all ends up in is When Myra Breckinridge Beat the Nutty Professor with an American Graffiti/Animal House epilogue tacked on. It even cheats the viewer out of any beleivable tennis action--most of the shots are of closeups and fans in the bleachers. When Billie is best forgotten, it may be remembered for being what Dan Aykroyd on SNL used to call "Bad Performance Theatre!" At least it was broadcast on ABC TV, so you got your money's worth of curiously awful cinema.

a great inspirational story and equally empowering film, though the title gives it away for the younger audiences the film is a gem. Holly Hunter was incredible and looks great, Ron Silver was fantastic, a big change from the other performances he's given, the director/writer filled the film with rich colors and smart editing I score it 6/6 6/6 6/5