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Nice effects though.

Brilliant and touching

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

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.

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.

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.

The supposed gentleman's game, tennis is full of volcanic characters. Competitive singles is an exasperating exercise in strategic warfare: the closest one gets to physical chess. With very little distinguishing the top players in athletic ability, it all comes down cerebral strategy.Perhaps the ultimate clash of mental racket gods, the 1980 Wimbledon final, is finally depicted in film. Icebergian cool, super Swede Bjorn Borg clashes with the hot-headed, foul-mouthed American brat John McEnroe, in a gruellingly inhumane best of five sets match, on slippery grass, in front of British royalty drowning their strawberries and cream, with sugary tea.Sports movies are always an iffy proposition, but Borg vs. McEnroe gets it right. Not only is Sverrir Gudnason a dead ringer for Borg, he totally nails his obsessive mannerisms, and most importantly, brings the mystery man to life. Irrational nutbar actor Shia LaBeouf as the irrational nutbar tennis star John McEnroe, is the obvious lure here, but instead the focus is mainly on the secretive, misunderstood Borg. It's a relief to see excellent action sequences not marred by dodgy stand ins, and awkward editing. Also: retro short shorts and white tennis balls. This is a great tennis movie, and a pretty good movie movie.