Borg McEnroe: Movie Review
Yay!! Another film about an iconic sports rivalry, this time in the world of tennis. The story of the Wimbledon tournament of 1980, a tournament that would offer a defining moment in the careers of some of the greatest players ever to grace the Centre Court - Björn Borg and John McEnroe.
At the time of the 1980 Wimbledon tournament, Borg already had 9 Grand Slam singles titles under his belt, with five French Open titles, three of them back to back and four consecutive Wimbledon titles. On his way to set a record and become the first ever player to win Wimbledon five times in a row, ranked Number One in the world. Everyone expected the Swedish tennis legend to win, the media and the frantic fans all adding pressure on a man who was on the verge of losing his confidence and form.
On the flip side was the even younger John McEnroe, infamous for his mannerisms and rowdiness on the court, shouting and insulting the crowd and the judges too. But he was ranked Number Two in the world with a couple of US Open titles under his belt, coming into the 1980 Wimbledon tournament, the favourite to win from the USA. His style of play was the opposite to Borg's and was also left-handed, an uncommon trait in the top level of tennis.
One had a brilliant career up to this point and the other was just starting his ascent, both achieving many Grand Slam titles and tennis records, Borg more than McEnroe. But this movie is about that one year, where these two played each other in the Finals at Wimbledon and in the events leading up to that match. It is a biography of sorts, so for the older viewers or fans of tennis, there is no surprise in store but for one such as I who knew none of these stats beforehand, the film offered a certain thrill and suspense.
The casting for Björn Borg was done impeccably, Sverrir Gudnason being a Swede himself portrayed the player and the person with remarkable accuracy in terms of appearance, mannerisms and character. Stellan Skarsgård also gave a brilliant performance as Borg's coach, mentor and friend Lennart Bergelin while Tuva Novotny was well cast to play the role of Borg's wife and world-ranked tennis professional Mariana Simionescu. The fact that all characters, across the timelines, spoke in Swedish (with subtitles of course) and not in English for the convenience of audiences, added to the experience.
Getting Shia LeBouef to play John McEnroe is a questionable choice as those who watched McEnroe play would protest the accuracy of his performance. But it is not something that particularly upsets the flow of the narrative so for the others, it can be overlooked. Director Janus Metz has tried well to dramatize and cinematograph the game of tennis and has come close but hasn't hit the mark.
It feels like a movie that came into being following the success of 'Rush', a story of a sports rivalry between contrasting personalities but falls short of the benchmark. That said, I'd rate this movie 'Borg McEnroe' 6 out of 9 cinnamon rolls.
At the time of the 1980 Wimbledon tournament, Borg already had 9 Grand Slam singles titles under his belt, with five French Open titles, three of them back to back and four consecutive Wimbledon titles. On his way to set a record and become the first ever player to win Wimbledon five times in a row, ranked Number One in the world. Everyone expected the Swedish tennis legend to win, the media and the frantic fans all adding pressure on a man who was on the verge of losing his confidence and form.
On the flip side was the even younger John McEnroe, infamous for his mannerisms and rowdiness on the court, shouting and insulting the crowd and the judges too. But he was ranked Number Two in the world with a couple of US Open titles under his belt, coming into the 1980 Wimbledon tournament, the favourite to win from the USA. His style of play was the opposite to Borg's and was also left-handed, an uncommon trait in the top level of tennis.
One had a brilliant career up to this point and the other was just starting his ascent, both achieving many Grand Slam titles and tennis records, Borg more than McEnroe. But this movie is about that one year, where these two played each other in the Finals at Wimbledon and in the events leading up to that match. It is a biography of sorts, so for the older viewers or fans of tennis, there is no surprise in store but for one such as I who knew none of these stats beforehand, the film offered a certain thrill and suspense.
The casting for Björn Borg was done impeccably, Sverrir Gudnason being a Swede himself portrayed the player and the person with remarkable accuracy in terms of appearance, mannerisms and character. Stellan Skarsgård also gave a brilliant performance as Borg's coach, mentor and friend Lennart Bergelin while Tuva Novotny was well cast to play the role of Borg's wife and world-ranked tennis professional Mariana Simionescu. The fact that all characters, across the timelines, spoke in Swedish (with subtitles of course) and not in English for the convenience of audiences, added to the experience.
Getting Shia LeBouef to play John McEnroe is a questionable choice as those who watched McEnroe play would protest the accuracy of his performance. But it is not something that particularly upsets the flow of the narrative so for the others, it can be overlooked. Director Janus Metz has tried well to dramatize and cinematograph the game of tennis and has come close but hasn't hit the mark.
It feels like a movie that came into being following the success of 'Rush', a story of a sports rivalry between contrasting personalities but falls short of the benchmark. That said, I'd rate this movie 'Borg McEnroe' 6 out of 9 cinnamon rolls.
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