Film

Battle of the Sexes

Battle of the Sexes tells the true story of the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, a contest that became a cultural battleground. The Wachowskis direct with warmth and wit, balancing sports drama with intimate character work. It's for anyone drawn to stories about people who changed the world by refusing to accept its rules.

TMDb rating3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like sports dramas that treat a publicity stunt as a sharp, funny study of two people performing for the cameras while hiding what they really want.

Skip it if you want a fast, tightly plotted sports movie; this one is leisurely, talky and built more around personalities and politics than rallies and match tactics.

What it asks of you: Two hours at a warm, unhurried pace, with the tennis often a backdrop to the faces and arguments around it; the comedy stays light even when the subject bites.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Hidden Figures2016

A celebration of brilliant women breaking through institutional barriers, with the same blend of humor, dignity, and righteous anger. Both films trust their audiences to care about fairness as deeply as their characters do.

But The ensemble cast means some characters remain sketchy, and the uplifting tone occasionally feels tidy given the real weight of what's being fought.

Hidden Figures poster

The Personal History of David Copperfield2019

Another Armando Iannucci–written film that finds comedy and humanity in period detail without being precious. Sharp, clever, and genuinely warm about its flawed protagonist learning who he is.

But Its playfulness might feel too light if you're in the mood for something heavier, and the narrative can jump in ways that lose thread.

The Personal History of David Copperfield poster

On the Basis of Sex2018

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's early legal fight for equality, with the same attention to how personal conviction becomes public change. Felicity Jones is electric, and the courtroom drama lands hard.

But It follows a familiar underdog formula, and some scenes feel more like they're checking boxes than fully earned moments.

On the Basis of Sex poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Battle of the Sexes

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Pumping Iron1977

Both celebrate people who were told their ambition was illegitimate and then proved the doubters wrong through sheer excellence and will.

A documentary about competitive bodybuilding with Arnold Schwarzenegger that does something radical: it takes its subjects seriously as athletes and artists, while finding the absolute absurdity in their obsession. Both films understand that passion deserves respect even when it's about something outsiders find ridiculous.

But It's genuinely difficult to find now, and the 1970s documentary aesthetic will feel distant if you want slick contemporary filmmaking.

Pumping Iron poster
More like this (8)

Spotlight2015

An ensemble of ordinary people doing meticulous, unglamorous work to expose the truth. The satisfaction comes from watching them get it right, not from spectacle. Deeply moving.

But It's slow and procedural—people who want constant momentum might find it dry, despite the gravity of its subject.

Spotlight poster

The King's Man2021

If you want more of Steve Carell playing against type as something darker and more dangerous, this prequel to Kingsman delivers style and genuine darkness. Fun, visually inventive, completely unrestrained.

But The tone is wildly different from Battle of the Sexes—cartoonishly violent and cynical where that film is earnest. Not for everyone.

The King's Man poster

The Iron Lady2011

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher navigating power in a man's world. Female protagonist refusing compromise, supported by exemplary acting and sharp writing about ambition and its cost.

But Some find it conservative in its politics, and Streep's accent has become notorious enough that it's distracting if that bothers you at all.

The Iron Lady poster

Cool Runnings1993

A true-story sports film where the real appeal is the characters' determination to be taken seriously, not the competition outcome. Funny, unpretentious, genuinely charming without ever becoming saccharine.

But It's silly in ways that don't always land, and the 90s production values have aged in obvious ways.

Cool Runnings poster

The Right Stuff1983

Philip Kaufman's epic about the Mercury Seven astronauts balances towering ambition with intimate character study. Beautifully shot, serious about why these men mattered, and surprisingly funny.

But At over three hours, it demands patience, and some of its gender politics belong firmly to 1983, which can be jarring.

The Right Stuff poster

Cinderella Man2005

Russell Crowe in a Depression-era boxing film about a man clawing his way back to dignity. Straightforward in the best way—no irony, just pure commitment to stakes and character.

But It hits all the expected beats of the underdog sports story, so you'll see the emotional beats coming long in advance.

Cinderella Man poster

Ice Princess2005

Both understand that female athletic excellence is worth celebrating on its own terms, not as proof of anything except that the athlete is exceptional.

A Disney film about a girl who becomes a competitive figure skater—it's earnest, unpretentious sports drama that respects its protagonist's drive without needing to make her journey about romance. The same director (Tim Lipton) brings warmth to athletic ambition.

But It's a Disney film from 2005, so the production is bright and plastic in ways that might feel saccharine. The character growth is obvious.

Ice Princess poster

Hunger2008

Both use sport or bodily competition as the language through which their protagonist articulates something bigger than themselves—identity, justice, refusal.

Steve McQueen's film about the 1981 Irish hunger strike uses sport-film vocabulary—bodies pushed to breaking point, the audience as witness to willpower transformed into ritual—but as protest and resistance. It's difficult and essential. Same structural idea: one person's body becomes a battleground.

But It's deliberately, relentlessly harsh. McQueen doesn't look away from suffering, and neither does the film. Not cathartic, not entertaining—genuinely punishing to sit through.

Hunger poster

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