That's Shia LaBeouf on the left, and Sverrir Gudnason on the right. Credit: JULIE VRABELOVA

Thats Shia LaBeouf on the left, and Sverrir Gudnason on the right.

That’s Shia LaBeouf on the left, and Sverrir Gudnason on the right. JULIE VRABELOVA

Tennis star John McEnroe hates Borg vs. McEnroe, Janus Metz’s film about McEnroe’s famous 1980 Wimbledon match with Björn Borg. It’s important to know that.

McEnroe thinks that Shia LaBeouf’s portrayal of him is bad and makes him look like a jerk. But of all the things that made McEnroe a household name in the 1980s, none even comes close to this simple truth: He is one of the greatest jerks in the history of television. Indeed, I even think LaBeouf and the director didn’t go far enough with his iconic antics. Their McEnroe is almost likable and has quiet, reflective moments.

Charles Mudede—who writes about film, books, music, and his life in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, the USA, and the UK for The Stranger—was born near a steel plant in Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe. He has no memory...