Challengers review

CHALLENGERS: 

ZENDAYA MAKES A SIZZLING SWING IN THIS SPORTS FLICK! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

MGM

Zendaya in Challengers

 

            Zendaya (Spider-Man franchise, Euphoria, Dune: Parts 1 and 2) takes to the tennis court in Challengers, the new film from Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria, Bones and All). Saying I’ve seen the trailer for this movie would be an understatement because I watched it before several films this year and every time I thought the same thing “Yeah, this looks like it could be a good movie”. 

            Aside from Call Me By Your Name, I haven’t seen much of Gudagnino’s filmography, but given how Zendaya is making bank this year thanks to Dune: Part Two’s success and that she’s a brilliant actress, I was interested in seeing this movie. Coming out of the movie, I have to say Challengers pretty much exceeded my expectations on just about every level and the trailers didn’t really do this film justice after seeing it. 

            The film follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Tashi is married to a champion on a losing streak named Art Donaldson (Mike Faist-West Side Story (2021), Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, The Bikeriders) and her method for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor-Florence Foster Jenkins, The Crown, Emma (2020)). 

            Overall, Challengers is one of the boldest and most kinetic romantic dramas I’ve seen in a while and a perfect example of a love triangle movie that works all the way through. I should make this clear, this film is told in a non-linear way and often time jumps at various points of the movie so don’t be turning your brain off during this viewing. 

            The movie constantly jumps between past, present, and future to tell its story and through these flashbacks and flash-forwards you find out more about these characters. I never felt lost or bored because of the non-linear storytelling, but I can see this upsetting those looking for a simple tennis-themed erotic drama, Basic Instinct on the Tennis Court this is not. 

            The film also touches on heavy themes like toxic relationships and doesn’t really present any of its core characters as particularly likable. It is essentially a love triangle between three very complicated and flawed people who would probably be better off if they had never met. 

There is no clear hero and no clear villain as you’re often switching sides over the course of the film between the protagonists. It also explores what happens when a relationship is based on a career and the other person in said relationship is losing interest in it as Zendaya’s Tashi is extremely passionate about tennis and cares about the sport more than anything else so what happens to the relationship if tennis is no longer the driving point of it? 

 

All of that makes for a thoroughly fascinating and engaging story about the dangers of having a relationship built on a career told in a brilliant and effective way. What really makes the film come alive is the performances by our three leads. 

I’ve always admired Zendaya as an actress ever since I saw her in the current Spider-Man movies, but with this and Dune: Part Two, 2024 has been the year of Zendaya really showing what she’s capable of because she is incredible here and unapologetically ruthless as Tashi. Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist are also huge standouts and essentially polar opposites from one another with O’Connor’s Patrick having talent but no love for the game anymore while Faist’s Art respecting the sport and is more mentally stable than Patrick, both characters work off each other wonderfully and have very strong chemistry with Zendaya’s Tashi in a bizarre love triangle relationship. 

The tennis sequences are very well-shot and edited, each different from the last including long shots of tennis matches or other times the camera will be from the perspective of the ball as it’s being hit back and forth as if the audience is getting whacked by tennis rackets. Luca Guadagnino effectively managed to make simple games of tennis epic and exciting with powerful sound and aggressive techno-style musical score from The Social Network’s Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. 

However, what’s extremely clever about the use of the intense techno score is that it often accompanies the tennis matches and scenes where the characters argue. So, in a way a toxic or complicated relationship with a lot of arguments is like a game of tennis going back and forth which definitely leaves the audience with something to think about afterwards. 

Challengers is one of the biggest surprises I had all year and among the best films I’ve seen so far in 2024. It’s a riveting psychological study about relationships, love triangles, and tennis with fascinating characters and phenomenal performances that is worth swinging your racket for.