A Movie Critic's Take on the State of Tennis Movies

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with movie critic Chris Nashawaty about tennis movies, including the forthcoming Borg vs. McEnroe film.
Courtesy of NEON/Borg vs. McEnroe

On the Beyond the Baseline Podcast, Sports Illustrated executive editor, Tennis Channel commentator and host Jon Wertheim takes fans between the lines with tennis commentary and exclusive interviews with the top players and newsmakers on the ATP and WTA tours.

On the latest edition of the Beyond the Baseline Podcast, host Jon Wertheim talks with Chris Nashawaty, a movie critic for Entertainment Weekly and author of the new book, Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story.

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Nashawaty and his forthcoming book serve as a starting point for a larger theme of the episode: the state of tennis movies. Wertheim and Nashawaty—who is also an avid tennis player and fan—discuss some of the recent tennis films, such as Battle of the Sexes, and the upcoming Borg vs. McEnroe moviefeaturing Shia LaBeouf that releases on April 13. Nashawaty explains his initial thoughts and review of the movie, which tells the story of the epic rivalry between Swedish tennis legend Björn Borg and brash American John McEnroe (played by LaBeouf) during Wimbledon in 1980. 

Wertheim and Nashawaty​ also discuss why tennis doesn't have the equivalent of Caddyshack, a movie that endures for decades and popularizes and demystifies a sport.

Listen below and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher.​​​

Check back next week for another episode of Beyond the Baseline.


Published
Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.