I love this movie so much

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

An Exercise In Nonsense

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is a spoiler free review, just because this is the type of film you should go into without any knowledge if you can help it. Because you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. A shockingly enjoyable viewing experience. Go into this film knowing nothing.

The original title of "Borg vs McEnroe" is "Borg McEnroe" which in the context of the Swedish language may have additional connotations. About 60% of the movie is in Swedish. The movie is relatively more about Borg than McEnroe. While not totally lopsided in the exploration of the two iconic tennis characters, it does lean somewhat towards Borg in terms of coverage. This is logical. Borg and McEnroe are polar opposites in persona. While the fiery McEnroe underneath is very much as he appears to the outer world, icy Borg is an entirely different story. The 1980 Wimbledon Championship between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe can arguably be considered THE top historic event in the history of lawn tennis. The seventies saw the tennis universe turned up-side-down as reigning master Ken Rosewall was all but massacred by young and fast-rising Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 in the 1974 U.S. Open. Before you can blink, along came Bjorn Borg, another "giant killer", even younger. For a few years, the tennis universe was blinded by the titanic struggles between these two players. But before they two had a chance to grow old, they were eclipsed by John McEnroe, not so much in skill (these three were equally good) as in flamboyance. While Borg's legendary tenacious resilience made him almost invincible, McEnroe was simply dubbed the "tennis machine' by critics. "Surgical precision" was used most to describe McEnroe's tennis. Some described his tennis as the most uninteresting to watch. Don't expect Connor's grunting power or Borg's composed grace. McEnroe was not out there to look good. He was out there just to win. His shots were deadly efficient, involving only the minimum movement required. The best illustration was his serve. He faced not the opposite court but the sideline. No huge arm swings because by thus positioning himself, the turn of his body generated sufficient power, together with, yes, surgical precision. This tennis match of the century anchors the movie from beginning to end, starting with slow boil excitement, from the early rounds and culminating in the titanic championship battle. Cross cutting with the progress of the game are flashbacks of the early years of the two protagonists, focusing on tennis. McEnroe's story is simpler and given less screen time: growing up in a rich family, with an absolute passion for tennis and a fiery temper he never bothered to hide or contain. Borg's coming-of-age story is depicted in more detail: a working-class family that aspired to a successful tennis career for their son. Unknown to most of Borg's admirers, his temper was no less than McEnroe's, a temper that nearly wrecked his future. The story is very much about the development of a relationship of trust between Borg and coach Lennart Bergelin who never gave up on Borg and modelled his icy cool persona which was what the public perceived. The movie did good work in bringing to the screen the drama of a piece of tennis history. Special mention should be made of the closing scene at the airport, a chance encounter of the two protagonists before boarding their respective flights. They caught sight of each other at a distance, hesitantly approached, started a tentative conversation (which the audience does not hear) and finished in a hug for goodbye. Then, prior to the closing credits, written on-screen captions telling how they became good friends, and Borg later becoming McEnroe's best man. The best line from a critic goes: "no one could possibly understand these two guys more than they understand each other". Sverrir Gudnason is an excellent Borg, with as much credit to his acting as the uncanny physical resemblance. Shia LaBeouf is more than just a summer mindless blockbuster star (as he demonstrated in his short segment in "New York, I love you") and delivers a good portrayal of McEnroe. Veteran Stellan Skarsgard is well cast as coach Bergelin and has good chemistry with Gudnason. Tuva Novotny (most recently in the remarkable "Annihilation") does not have too much to do playing Borg's fiancée Mariana Simionescu and handles the role well.

Borg vs McEnroe presents a powerful and well-made portrait of two tennis rivals under immense psychological stress. Despite this, it may fail to stick in the minds of non-tennis enthusiasts. Borg vs McEnroe is like many sports movies in that it focuses on the mindset of the individual players to heighten the drama. However, it is unique in its presentation of the contrast between Borg and McEnroe; two brilliant rivals who experience excruciating inner and outer pressure, but who deal with it in different ways. The film manages to convey near-complete psychological portraits of the two tennis stars through a combination of flashbacks, character interactions, and scenes on the court. The film succeeds due to its skillful cinematography and powerful performances from Sverrir Gudnason (Borg) and Shia LaBeouf (McEnroe). Borg vs McEnroe feels comfortable using unique shots and cuts to portray a certain emotion or action sequence, but it doesn't overuse any techniques so as to distract from the reality of the events. Thus, the use of dramatic cinematic embellishments rarely feels overly theatrical or out of place. The second main strength of the movie is the two performances from Gudnason and LaBeouf. The actors accent the emotional torment that the tennis figures faced, and without such strong performances the movie wouldn't have been worth the watch. The real value of Borg vs McEnroe is the questions it raises about success and perceptions of success, and it highlights the fact that the media's portrayal of athletes rarely tells the whole story. But the movie is clearly building towards the great match between Borg and McEnroe, and so that promise must be fulfilled. The final tennis scene is done effectively, but it is not strong enough to bring the whole movie to a close. For those who are unaware of how the match turned out, the third act will be riveting. For those who know the end result, they may feel that it drags out a little longer than necessary. One choice by the filmmakers that undermines the final scene was their obvious bias towards Borg by focusing on his flashbacks and emotions over those of McEnroe. Ultimately, the movie's strengths overshadow its weaker points; Borg vs McEnroe is a solid biographical sports film, even if it can't quite mix sports thrills with an in-depth character analysis.

I lived through this period, and this film artfully captures the emotions of the time. It focuses on the build up to the 1980's match and turns out an art film that is the Rocky of tennis.