Here's Your First Glimpse Of Emma Stone Shutting Down Steve Carell's Misogyny In Battle Of The Sexes
In this current political climate, you'd think the last thing we want is to watch a movie co-starring a loud, misogynist male character — but the new trailer for Battle Of The Sexes proves it's worth the irony. Emma Stone and Steve Carell play tennis players Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs who go head to head in a match after Riggs instigates a war with his nonstop sexism. Based on the true story of 1973 battle, the movie is only tolerable now thanks to Emma Stone's clapbacks and 40-plus years of feminism.
Some of the jokes Carell's character makes in the trailer include "I’m not saying that women don’t belong on the court — who’d pick up the balls otherwise?" and "Don't get me wrong: I love women...in the bedroom and in the kitchen."
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Luckily, Emma Stone has no problem holding her own. "Keep talking, Bobby," she retorts. "The more nonsense you spout the worse it's going to be when you lose."
The real-life Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs weren't too far off these portrayals. King is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player who won 39 Grand Slam titles. Riggs was also once the World No. 1 player, known for saying phrases like, "If I am to be a chauvinist pig, I want to be the number one pig."
While I won't tell you who ends up winning the match — I wouldn't want to spoil the movie — the event is universally known as a symbol for the struggle for women's equality in the 1970s.
The adapted tale is directed by Little Miss Sunshine's Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and written by Slumdog Millionaire's Simon Beaufoy. The film hits theaters on September 22, so you better use the coming months to brush up on your game — believe me, this movie will have you itching to smash things with tennis balls.
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