Borg vs McEnroe

The strangest casting choice in this film is not on the poster. Young Björn Borg, aged nine to thirteen, is played by Leo Borg, the champion's eldest son. He was not handed the part; he answered an open casting call. Director Janus Metz later explained the decision plainly, saying the boy was simply undeniably true and had Bjorn's blood. Marcus Mossberg plays Borg from fifteen upwards. The film centres on the 1980 Wimbledon final and Borg's attempt at a fifth consecutive title. It refuses to treat the two men as opposites, presenting them instead as two symptoms of the same condition: the Swede who looks frozen from outside is no more in control than the American who screams. Sverrir Gudnason plays Borg and Shia LaBeouf plays John McEnroe, with Stellan Skarsgård as coach Lennart Bergelin and Tuva Novotny as Borg's fiancée. Who it is for: viewers who do not need to know the rules of tennis but want to know what is happening inside an athlete's head. Who it is not for: anyone expecting fidelity to the real chronology. Events are reordered and reweighted for dramatic effect.