Borg vs McEnroe: Review, Cast, Story, Director

 Film: Borg Mcenroe

Cast: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny

Director: Janus Metz Pedersen

Rating: * * * *

Like Rush, Ron Howard’s biopic on the rivalry between F1 champs James Hunt and Nikki Lauda, Janus Pedersen’s Borg McEnroe also showcases the contest between tennis greats Björn Borg and John McEnroe. Written for the screen by Ronnie Sandahl, this fabulous film starts with the 1980 Men’s Singles Final at Wimbledon, where Sweden’s pride and joy (Sverrir Gudnason, awesome) the defending, four-time consecutive champion meets his volatile American challenger (Shia LaBeouf, terrific)

The film is an eye-opener – we realise that the unflappable “Ice-Borg” is really, a dormant volcano. Cutting from matches leading up to the grand, tense finale to flashbacks, the film shows how young Björn (played by Björn’s real son, Leo, and Markus Mossberg), is coached by his Davis Cup captain-mentor Lennart Bergelin (Stellan Skarsgård,superb) to control his emotions and unleash them on the court taking “one point at a time.”

Still, this does not stop Björn from telling both coach and loyal fiancé, Mariana Simionescu (Tuva Novotny) to leave. We are also privy to the relationship between John and his family, especially his father (Ian Blackman) Throughout, Borg’s coolness is contrasted with McEnroe’s brash ways (such as arguing at matches) The epic, five-set final at Wimbledon will keep even non-tennis lovers and on edge. Enjoy!