X
- 2018
- R
- Neon
- 1 h 47 m
- 2018
- R
- Neon
- 1 h 47 m
Summary At the historic 1980 Wimbledon Championships, rising American star John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf) sets his sights on dethroning reigning champion Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason), sparking an unprecedented media frenzy in the tennis world. At the center of the hype are two legendary tennis icons’ with polar opposite personas and approaches to...
Directed By: Janus Metz
Written By: Ronnie Sandahl
- 2018
- R
- Neon
- 1 h 47 m
- 2018
- R
- Neon
- 1 h 47 m
Borg vs. McEnroe
63
6.8
Where to Watch
Summary At the historic 1980 Wimbledon Championships, rising American star John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf) sets his sights on dethroning reigning champion Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason), sparking an unprecedented media frenzy in the tennis world. At the center of the hype are two legendary tennis icons’ with polar opposite personas and approaches to...
Directed By: Janus Metz
Written By: Ronnie Sandahl
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
63
53% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
43% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
63
53% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
43% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Sometimes a movie comes along that, devoid of a noisy publicity push or festival buzz, quietly ambushes the unsuspecting viewer with an absorbing, skillfully executed, meaningful and thoroughly entertaining experience. Ladies and gentlemen, Borg vs. McEnroe is just that kind of film.
With LaBeouf giving the performance of his career and a well-told story that hits all the right beats, Borg vs McEnroe may just well go down as a great tennis film.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 User Ratings
6.8
70% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
27% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
3% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 37 User Ratings
6.8
70% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
27% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
3% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
This movie felt like a good recreation of the rivalry between the two players. Shia LeBeouf played very well the angry young kid, it was the perfect role for him and he did deliver on my expectations. The rest of the actors did outstanding as well on every single emotional scene and frustrating tension scenes to. The cinematography was amazing as and the director really knew what he was doing. Simply everything works perfectly. Humor, pacing, visuals and sound effects, screen writing etc. The plot is simple, but the way it's presented makes it valuable and if you do not know the outcome of the match the movie can even surprise you. Overall it's an amazing movie with a very good message and perfectly working components but you need patients with it that is why won't get a 10.
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This I found to be a relatively gripping watch towards the end, in terms of seeing what happened at the main tennis match. I know tennis isn't known to be an especially exciting sport but I thought it was a decent drama overall. The acting isn't too bad and I felt engrossed in the two mens feud - the anger/aggression seemed pretty believable. I'm not sure I can say I felt entirely sorry for them, although I certainly saw that pushy paprenting played a part in things. For a tennis film, this is surprisingly fast paced and even energetic at times - worth a watch, if your not a big sports fan as I'm not usually. As a character drama I thought it was ok, although maybe slightly depressing for some and some aspects of the mens personalities may not be entirely likeable or relatable to some - its still pretty decent and tense at the end. I can't comment on how historically accurate it is but as an entertaining film, its pretty good, so I'd recommend it on that basis.
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Borg vs. McEnroe is a vivid reminder of the personal nature of this genteel combat sport, of a great rivalry and of a time when America, Sweden and the world were their most passionate about it.
It’s a worthwhile document of tennis history and that of two of its greats.
A love-all crowd-pleaser for the most part, more Borg than McEnroe thanks to an arresting performance from lookalike Sverrir Gudnason.
The film — which is nowhere near as interesting as LaBeouf’s performance — is hopelessly reductive about its subjects’ psychology even as it mocks the press of 1980 for being reductive about its subjects’ psychology.
Even the depiction of how both men waver during the Wimbledon final — of Borg losing his cool while McEnroe avoids succumbing to petulance — fails to tie into the larger portrait of their rivalry.
I’ll start by saying I’m not a fan of tennis and I had no idea how this “inspired by true events” movie was going to play out. Although the accuracy of this movie is debatable the story of the rivalry between Björn Borg and John McEnroe is everything I expected and more. Gripping and constantly increasing in suspense until the dramatic build up to the 1980 Wimbledon final. It’s a thrilling experience and should not be missed.
Shia LaBeouf has proven that he does in fact have the ability to give not only a good, but a convincing performance and if he chooses his roles carefully he’ll have a promising future ahead. Sverrir Gudnason is outstanding as Borg, perfect casting. Although the story focuses more on Borg adding a suitable amount of childhood flashbacks to give us a sense of his character McEnroe doesn’t get the same amount of time to his backstory and it does seem very rushed with trying to flesh out his character. A well told story and if it can engage a non-tennis fan like me then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t see it, highly recommended.
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Production Company
SF Studios,
Film i Väst,
Nordisk Film,
Sveriges Television (SVT),
Sirena Film,
SF Studios Production,
Yellow Film & TV,
Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI),
Nordisk Film & TV-Fond,
Det Danske Filminstitut,
Finnish Film Foundation,
Danmarks Radio (DR),
Yleisradio (YLE),
The Czech Republic State Fund for Support and Development of Cinematography,
MEDIA Programme of the European Union
Release Date Apr 13, 2018
Duration 1 h 47 m
Rating R
Tagline Some stars shine forever
Awards
Guldbagge Awards
• 2 Wins & 10 Nominations
Gasparilla International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
International Film Festival & Awards Macao
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
