When Billie Beat Bobby

One of the most entertaining, best-written/directed TV movies I've seen. Jane Anderson has given us a classic of quality. A slice of the past that sums up a turning point in American history. Holly Hunter, Ron Silver......the best.

"When Billie Beat Bobby" is a fast moving fun movie. Even though the outcome is known, this is such an uplifting film that the journey is what it's all about. Ron Silver is terrific as the constant hustler, Bobby Rigggs, and Holly Hunter more than adequate as his adversary. Make no mistake this movie belongs to Ron Silver, because he absolutely nails his character. Throw in the always interesting Bob Gunton and Fred Willard, and it is easy to see why "When Billie Beat Bobby" is so entertaining. I did not find the overplaying of womens lib to be distracting, as it was the critical motivation for the match to be played. This is worth seeking out, even if tennis is not your game. - MERK

An enjoyable dramatization of this famous battle of the sexes. Hunter and Silver were wonderful as King and Riggs. Worth catching. If you liked this movie, then catch a more current retelling in the Battle of the Sexes with Stone and Carell.

Amen, sister! Can I get a witness? Hallelujah, I'm saved! Yes, he orthodox gospel of feminist rectitude is proclaimed at full volume in this trying-to-be-relevant-but-mostly-fluffy made-for-TV movie.

My daughter has recently taken up an interest in tennis, so I dropped this lightweight drama in my Netflix queue, not expecting much either way. As it turned out, this could have been a really bad movie, but thankfully it's not. What saves it (hallelujah, it's saved!) from being just another dreary feminist harangue is good performances from Holly Hunter as Wimbledon champion Billie Jean King and Ron Silver as the aging hustler Bobby Riggs. I was going to further criticize this movie for unequal treatment: making King an actual human being but portraying Riggs as a nothing but a one-dimensional buffoon (after all, who doesn't want a dastardly villain who is easily dispatched?), but the more I read about Riggs, the more I came to realize that that was the way he was in real life.

This is not a fine-cuisine-and-red-wine type of movie; it's more like a Burger King meal deal. Fun, but not to be taken too seriously, and not with all the heavy-handed preaching.

I suppose it was. not a horrible film, but it wasn't the best film of the year. It made me recall the real battle of the sexes and the circus surrounding it. My only real comment on the film would be, who the heck thought Fred Willard would make a good Howard Cosell?