Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event -- close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, Darnell Appling, AJ Lister, Nada Despotovich, Naheem Garcia, Hailey Gates, Jake Jensen
Release Date: April 26, 2024
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sport
Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity
Runtime: 2h 11m
Review:
Luca Guadagnino's tennis set love triangle, Challengers, is sleek, sweaty, sexy journey packed with a bevy of subtext throughout carried by a strong performances from its central trio. Guadagnino choice of sport is perfectly suited for the emotional back and forth he unfurls onscreen as the story unfolds in a series of flashback framed by a championship match between Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist. The characters themselves are terribly deep since they're little more than clichéd types but still you feel the swings and sways of their emotional journeys as we watch them grow together and apart. There's a palpable sense of desire, lust, envy, anger, and pity throughout the film from each of the characters which makes for a fascinating interplay between the central trio. Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist prove to be up to the task as they all cycle between emotional ages as we follow them at different points in their lives and relationships with each. Zendaya displays a naturalistic ease playing the focused, driven Tashi who shifts from teen phenom to wife/coach. Zendaya brings a devious energy to her character as she pulls the strings between the friends who essentially serve as two personality extremes. Josh O'Connor's Art is a doting lapdog who pines and angles for Tashi's attention before getting his opportunity. Mike Faist's Patrick is far more self assured, desire driven but generally messy who serves as an excellent antithesis to Art. They both share strong chemistry with Zendaya who ably shuffles through a series of emotions depending on the character and situation. The exchanges ultimately drive the film even if the story on its surface doesn't go anywhere particularly surprising. The real meat for Guadagnino is underneath the superficial storyline with his kinetic, vividly visualized during the final act set from the balls POV, exploration of wants and needs. A few pacing issues, especially in its final act, keep it from landing with verve and energy of the film's earlier acts but Challengers still manages to leave a memorable impression.
B+
