Movie Breakdown: Challengers

Pre-Screening Stance:

The lead up to Challengers has been interesting. It looks great and it’s from a wonderful director, Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Bones & All), but it’s as though no one cares about any of that since the film carries the potential of an on-screen Zendaya threesome. How silly and weird.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Challengers isn’t exactly what anyone is expecting and I wouldn’t place it over any of director Luca Guadagnino’s recent films, but I found it to be solid. The story revolves around a love triangle of sorts between three tennis players – there’s Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faist), and Patrick (Josh O’Connor). The two guys have long been best friends but they don’t let that stand in the way of them both pursuing Tashi, a beautiful tennis phenom on the rise. During their first night of hanging and getting to know one another, their playful conversation turns into kissing (i.e. this is the threesome that – I’ll just tell you now – isn’t some wildly steamy scene), which then entangles them together forever.

If you’re hoping for an erotic drama out of Challengers, you’re probably going to be disappointed by it, as there’s really not a lot of that sort of action to be found in this movie. There is, however, plenty of tennis because this film is absolutely built around the sport. There’s a lot of talk about tennis, a lot of playing tennis, and Guadagnino directs the whole thing like you’re watching a tennis match, complete with a very kinetic feel and enough back and forth camera swings during conversations to make your head twist off. I liked this approach – it provides a sort of rhythm to the relationship drama that’s swirling around in the film and in turn heightens it a bit – but if sports movies aren’t your thing, it might not quite work for you. On the performance side of the film, the three actors at its core are all great with, of course, Zendaya leading the way. She turns in a very layered, manipulative performance that just further establishes her as one of today’s most talented performers.

Your mileage may vary when it comes to Challengers, but either way it’s worth checking out. The film is in theaters as of today, April 26.

One Last Thought:

I wonder if this movie will inspire anyone to take up tennis.