TxMike
My wife and I watched this movie on DVD from our public library. We are both tennis fans, we enjoyed the glimpse into the past of two great tennis players.The movie focuses on the epic battle of Borg and McEnroe during the 1980 Wimbledon matches. Their final match is generally considered one of the very best of all time. Borg was only 24 but also only 2 years away from retirement. McEnroe was just 20 and destined to eventually become world #1. You can't make a 90+ minute movie just featuring one match, so there are ample flashbacks of each competitor in their younger days, looking at what influences they had and how they dealt with some of their behavior issues.A worthwhile movie.
Hellmant
'BORG VS MCENROE': Four Stars (Out of Five)A biographical sports-drama flick based on the classic rivalry between tennis players Björn Borg and John McEnroe, during the 1980 Wimbledon Championships. It was directed by Janus Metz Pedersen, and it was scripted by Ronnie Sandahl. The movie stars Sverrir Gudnason and Shia LaBeouf, as the two title characters, and it costars Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny and Robert Emms. The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics, and it's won multiple prestigious awards as well. I enjoyed it, especially for it's intense climax. Björn Borg (Gudnason) was a professional Swedish tennis player who was number one in the world in 1980. John McEnroe (LaBeouf) was a professional American tennis player, who was also number one in the world at one time. Borg was known for being really calm and robotic, while McEnroe was well known for having a really short temper and being extremely crude. The two became classic opposites, and rivals, at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships.This movie intensely depicts that rivalry. The film is a great character study, highlighted by two outstanding lead performances (especially LaBeouf) and an awesome sports climax (I really enjoyed the ending). It's also educational, for anyone who didn't know the real story (like me), and it's an interesting look at professional tennis as well (especially at that time). I was also really fascinated to learn what became of the two famous athletes, after the events of the movie. If you're a sports flick fan, I'd say this is definitely the movie for you.
The Movie Diorama
As a huge fan of tennis and the ATP rankings, I was immediately attracted to this biopic. John McEnroe and Björn Borg were arguably two of the finest legends of the sport, having competed together in that legendary 1980 Wimbledon final. This film chronicles the early lives of these icons, conveying the differences between them and how they must overcome these irregularities to better themselves. Any coach or sportsman will strictly tell you "it's not about winning, it's about bettering yourself as a person". A statement that burrowed into the minds of these two players. Borg having to defend his win streak with a record breaking fifth victory whilst McEnroe, being the underdog, was set to unbalance order with his ungentlemanly ferocity. Two very opposing personalities that produced one of the tensest finals of all time. This film, for the most part, succeeds in conveying a heated rivalry where Danish director Pedersen deftly illustrates fixation with a sport. His focus on these two legendary sportsmen and how they must be victorious was assured. Frequently, the matches of the Wimbledon championship are put aside which does squander the excitement somewhat. But the excellence in character development substitutes thrills for powerful drama. LaBeouf is back with a fantastic energetic performance and marinates well with Gudnason's nuanced role. The score and cinematography were exceptional also. However, the drama does feel unbalanced with the narrative leaning towards Borg's life rather than equalling with McEnroe's, resulting in a somewhat biased biopic. Some of McEnroe's outbursts felt exaggeratedly fictitious just to make the point that he was ungentlemanly, therefore executed heavy handedly. Also, as thrilling as the final was, the use of stunt doubles was obvious due to the frenetic quick cuts. Hang on though, new balls please! This is definitely one of the better films to showcase tennis and a fiery insight into the lives of two racket-holding titans, albeit slightly unbalanced.
thecure-1
I liked how the movie brought me back to those days when tennis players were like superstars (although you would not know it if you watch the last aierport scene where Bjorn and John have a lWhat I did not like is how the movie overkills the contrast between them and yet, it is contradictory in that the "calm/predictable/shy" Bjorn fires his coach without thinking it over much and is ready to leave his fiance as well ... which makes him as volatile as McEnroe supposedly is...
Meanwhile there is no tennis analysis whatsoever. I loved how John had the best hands in tennis and how graceful and talented he was at the net ...
Sverri Gudnason plays and moves a little bit like Bjorn, Shia LaBeouf is a DISASTER as John McEnroe: his movements are totally non-tennis and totally wrong!!!
The movie shows them as if this is the first time they play one another when it really was the SEVENTH time they played one another.
This is just on of many liberties they take to tell the story they want to tell: the Ying/Yang that movies require in order for those watching to get the point...
Too many flashbacks: the whole movie seemed like a long string of Bjorg remembering hitting against a wall and John getting rejected by his parents!!!
AD
