An amiable, minor crowd - pleaser,
Battle Of The Sexes plays out as a pair of character studies: King, the reserved but powerfully motivated champion butting up
against the insidious
sexism of sports and media while coming to terms with her own sexuality; Riggs, the middle - aged compulsive gambler and clown playing the part of an exaggerated chauvinist pig for attention and publicity.
The standout is Monáe — perhaps unexpectedly, given her reputation as a musician and model rather than actor — playing Mary as a fierce warrior
against racism and
sexism, calculating both flight trajectories for Project Mercury and how to pick her
battles.