BATTLE OF THE SEXES **

"Battle of the Sexes" isn't just about the famous exhibition match in 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs but how King took on the US Lawn Tennis Association so it's another David and Goliath story and we all know just how popular they can be. The directors are Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris who made "Little Miss Sunshine" and if this isn't in the same class it's still a very entertaining picture. If it has a fault it's that it signposts King's lesbianism in neon and with drum rolls; on this subject, subtle it ain't. However, it's certainly well acted by Emma Stone as King, Steve Carell, (superb as Riggs), Bill Pullman, (suitably slimy as Jack Kramer), Austin Stowell, (as King's husband) and Sarah Silverman, (King's manager).

The match itself, of course, is a humdinger and even if you know the outcome, it's still exciting since there's more at stake than just 'who wins'; we have to factor in Bobby's gambling addiction, too. It's also good on the politics, (was Margaret Court really the super-bitch she's portrayed here?). Ultimately, it's a minor film and you forget it as soon as it's over but it's also a hard film to dislike.

.