Billie Jean King’s eminence hardly needs to be spoken for. Her accolades, leadership positions, awards and honours all cement her role in the history of tennis and the equality movement in sports, and greater society itself. “Give me the ball” is what finally speaks for her as a human being.
The challenge with these types of films is that they have limited tools to communicate the message of the movie. Luckily, King is a phenomenal storyteller with a lovable personality, her dialogue brings you into the moment with her. You feel as if you are on the other end of a video call with her.
On the production side, the directors have a clever way of using framing to emphasize the scenes that carry tremendous emotional weight. The cut from a medium shot to a close as King looks into your eyes locks your attention in on her, and the emotionality is delivered directly to the viewer. “Give Me The Ball” does this quite often throughout the film, and it works flawlessly.
Billie Jean King sits in front of you and takes you through her history, supplemented by photos and videos from the past in typical biographical style. The film fluently strings interviews, photos, and footage together in a way that is entertaining and engaging.
The first half is endearing, but the pacing drags on a bit longer than comfortable.
The film walks you through her history up until the famous Battle of the Sexes match where she faced off against Bobby Riggs. This is where “Give Me The Ball” truly comes alive. The pacing picks up, the score intensifies, and the crew does an overall excellent job of portraying the importance of the match.
The series of b-roll and accompanying music that introduces the showdown resonates the importance of the match with the viewer. Spoiler alert for those living under a rock, but King ultimately dominates Riggs, and the impact that it had on the world is well documented, both by the footage taken at the time and in the way the directors used said footage to showcase its impact.
To fully understand the power King had, the directors had to rotate between emphasizing the magnitude of her outward achievements and highlighting the extent of the personal struggles she faced aside from those related to her sport or activist efforts.
King did all that she is known for while facing marital issues, an abortion, sexual identity confusion, and an eating disorder in secret while the world was watching her every move. The two sides of this flipping coin are the backbone of the films pacing, and the directors do well to not let any one aspect of her journey overstay its welcome.
Thanks to King’s outwardness to the press throughout her career, filmmakers were able to utilize old footage to paint a clear picture of her beliefs and attitudes at the time. They integrate clips from her in current day against those of the past in a way that feels self-conversational and tell us a lot about how King has grown, while retaining all the things that made her the legend she is.
Billie Jean King is a polarizing figure with a personality you can’t help but root for throughout the film, even if you knowing of her history spoils the outcome. Whether it’s your first time learning about King, or you’re her biggest fan, “Get Me The Ball” serves up a delightfully human tale of triumph.