Borg vs. McEnroe (2018) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline: Some stars shine forever

Featuring a tour-de-force performance from Shia LaBeouf as tennis great John McEnroe, the kinetic sports thriller BORG VS. MCENROE is based on the dramatic true events behind one of the sport's most famous rivalries.

At the historic 1980 Wimbledon Championships, rising American star McEnroe sets his sights on dethroning reigning champion Björn Borg, sparking an unprecedented media frenzy in the tennis world. At the center of the hype, two legendary tennis icons' with polar opposite personas and approaches to the game; McEnroe, infamous for his brash, ferocious energy on the court and his equally spectacular, expletive-fueled tantrums, versus Borg's coolly composed, elegant style of play which complements his unflappable public demeanor. However, both men are hiding deep anxieties, locked in battle with their inner demons. On the court, each athlete brings his immense talents -- and handicaps -- to bear in one of the most suspenseful events in sports history.

Storyline: The story of the 1980s tennis rivalry between the placid Björn Borg and the volatile John McEnroe.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, January 21, 2018 -- Whether Borg vs McEnroe works for you will depend almost entirely on whether you can embrace Shia LaBeouf as John McEnroe. It is really this simple. LaBeouf is like a big wrecking ball and he has a seemingly endless arsenal of f-bombs that you will not be able to brush aside. Yes, McEnroe was a wild rebel who also did not give a damn about proper manners and routinely used offensive language, but there is plenty in this film where LaBeouf basically behaves like the troublemaker LaBeouf that frequently pops up in news reports.

The two rivals are at Wimbledon's 1980 Championship. Having won the prestigious event four times, Bjorn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) is already a living legend. A fifth title, however, will cement his legacy and he will be in a category of his own. This is the moment that all great athletes dream of – win and make history.

But Borg is beginning to crack. The realization that he is this close and that he can lose to the rising American star has pushed him on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown. The pressure that he feels isn't new and he knows all the proper steps that he needs to take in order to overcome it, it is just that this time it is a lot stronger than before. It is suffocating, borderline maddening pressure that has even started eroding his relationship with his future wife (Tuva Novotny). Could this be the beginning of the end?

The American rival is in a completely different state of mind. He has not won in Wimbledon yet, but he feels that his time is coming. He already knows his path to the final and after carefully observing 'the gentleman from the North' he believes that he has him all figured out. McEnroe also realizes that there is a lot of pressure on Borg to win, so as long as he overpowers him early he knows that he has a great chance of beating him.

Before the two men meet in the final the film repeatedly goes back in time and reveals important bits of Borg's past. His ever-evolving relationship with his personal trainer Lennart Bergelin (Stellan Skarsgard) is used to reveal how he was taught to manage his emotions and actually transform them into a powerful element of his game. During his childhood years he is almost like an early version of the rebellious McEnroe.

The airy feeling that permeates the film makes the time overlappings look very smooth and everything comes together very nicely. The tennis games are also shot with a precision that can easily fool you to believe that they are legit. The film's Achilles' heel is the artificiality of LaBeouf's wild outbursts as more often than not they look completely out of sync. A bit of a shame really as this could have been a very special film.

The memories that most of us have of Björn Borg and John McEnroe and their legendary clash at Wimbledon in 1980 are shaped up by mainstream media and are full of glamorous images, headlines and commentaries that basically profile them as the perfect rival stars. Janus Metz's film Borg vs McEnroe brings them down to earth and dares to see them as vulnerable human beings that share an almost identical desire to be winners. I enjoyed the film a lot, but I felt that Shia LaBeouf was not the right choice to play the American rebel. Regardless, I urge you to see the film as it is certainly quite unique and has a wonderful style. RECOMMENDED.

[CSW] -2.4- Just a so-so film. Not great. Tennis fans will find it interesting. The two lead actors weren't great. Not your typical sports movie, as it focuses on the psychological "inner demons" affecting both champion tennis players Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) and McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf) as they prepare for their classic 1980 finals match at Wimbledon. At times, the movie seems disjointed and unfocused, and the final match-up was too lengthy, in my opinion. However, the film does end strongly and when you read the postscripts… they enhance it quite a bit.
[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box


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