Jan Wahl Movie Review: 'Battle of The Sexes' & 'Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin'
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - This week, KCBS Entertainment Editor Jan Wahl reviews the true story of the Battle of The Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs starring Emma Stone as and Steve Carell. Plus a documentary about Armistead Maupin.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES (PG-13) 121 min
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Written by: Simon Beaufoy
Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Elisabeth Shue, Bill Pullman, Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming, and Eric Christian Olsen
About The Movie:
In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women's movement, the 1973 tennis match between women's world champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men's-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the Battle of The Sexes and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough) developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue). Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms and boardrooms that continue to reverberate today.
Source: Fox Searchlight
UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN (NOT RATED) 90 min
Studio: Tigerlily Pictures
Directed: Jennifer M. Kroot and Bill Weber
Producers: Gerry Kim, Jennifer M. Kroot, Jeffrey Schwarz and Mayuran Tiruchelvam
Appearances by: Armistead Maupin, Olympia Dukakis, Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Ian McKellen and Amy Tan
About The Movie:
Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin examines the life and work of one of the world's most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels have inspired millions to claim their own truth. Jennifer Kroot's documentary about the creator of Tales Of The City moves nimbly between playful and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. With help from his friends (including Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen and Amy Tan) Maupin offers a disarmingly frank look at the journey that took him from the jungles of Vietnam to the bathhouses of 70's San Francisco to the front line of the American culture war.
Source: Metacritic.com
©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved.
