Challengers is a flawed, but playful and sporty romance film that captivates.
This rated-R movie follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a former teenage tennis prodigy turned coach, who transformed her husband – Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) – into a Grand Slam champion. However, recently he has been on a losing streak, so to get his groove back, Tashi signed him up for a challenger event. A challenger event is a small pro tennis tournament in New Rochelle, New York. Tensions soon arise as he finds out the competitor is Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. As the game goes on, the more their pasts come into play, and the ultimate question for Tashi is if it matters who wins this time.
Challengers was released in theaters on April 26, 2024, and runs 2 hours and 11 minutes. Director Luca Guadagnino has directed several films like “A Bigger Splash” and “I Am Love,” which have similar dynamics with love and romantic entanglements like in Challengers.
The plot was chaotic but certainly unique. It shifted back and forth between how their pasts are beginning to interfere with their present lives, which made it all the more captivating.
The three leads – Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor – acting was phenomenal. The tension between these three flawed and toxic characters is easily shown on and off the court. It’s also shown in their relationships because even though they love each other, they hate each other just as much.
Whatever doubts you previously had about Zendaya acting, Challengers will undeniably change that. Her portrayal of this complex character was fascinating and honestly came as a surprise. Throughout her career, Zendaya has primarily played teenage roles, and considering this is one of the only adult roles that she has acted in, she did extraordinary. Tashi was a master manipulator, a mastermind, and her love of tennis overpowered everything else. However, Tashi, just like Zendaya, brought indisputable glamor and charisma to the screen.
Not to mention both Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor’s acting were equally marvelous. Especially since their characters were polar opposites. Art was a reserved and passionate man whose only goal was to be loved and have someone to love. On the contrary, Patrick was unloyal and passionate about the wrong ideals. The main ones are his failed tennis career and his tragic love life. However, the chemistry between this dynamic duo was unfathomable. Out of every character, these two had the most respect and love for one another.
Unfortunately, no matter how many positives there are, the negatives outweigh them significantly. Character development did not exist in this film. Each character remained unchanged since the beginning. All of which were cold, psychotic, unemotional, and disloyal. In addition, the cinematography was beyond horrible. More than half of the film was slow-motion shots of all the tennis players covered in sweat, which may have been appealing to some, but it just made it all the more redundant.
Challengers is categorized as sport/romance, rated R for sexual scenes and nudity. This film is not suitable for younger audiences, however, if you are a fanatic for sporty romance films, this one is perfect.
6.5/10
