Borg McEnroe is a well done sport movie. It is realistic, well directed and quite emotional. The two characters are shown with all their imperfections, their weaknesses, and of course their strengths. Gudnason is actually identical to Borg. He is able to show both faces of the athlete: the external strength (to the outer people, like McEnroe himself), and the inner weakness (that just his girlfriend and his trainer know and understand). Shia makes a big role, even if his character is less described than Gudnason's: Borg is presented since his childhood and teen-age, while McEnroe's flashback are really short and minimal. The scene of their match is just marvelous: I did not have great expectation, because I believed that it would have been really hard to show a tennis match in a movie. But I was totally wrong. It is simply great, and in particular the fourth set is really really magical; even if I knew how the match would have ended, I was totally caught by the frenetic rhythm of the shot.
I really liked this movie, and I have preferred it over Rush (2013), which I consider really similar regarding themes and development.
I really liked this movie, and I have preferred it over Rush (2013), which I consider really similar regarding themes and development.