I didn't think this film really worked because the premise of the film wasn't that believable and it was all a bit silly. It is just about watchable but generally i just didn't find it that involving.
This is really not very good at all.. in fact it's really quite boring...
None of the characters are likeable (well, there's just 3 characters really, in a love triangle). I have no idea why it's put in the 'comedy' category as there's no laughs at all (except maybe the vaguest chuckle when Zendaya does a temptress routine with the 2 lads).
I actually can't think of any redeeming features... (except for Zendaya's physique)
Anyway, we persevered to the end (a long 2 hours).. and in the final act, it does pick up a bit (although ironically soo drawn out!).. but then right at the final moment you're left going "Huh??"
Luca Guadagnino has had an incredible career. Whilst Call Me By Your Name will always be his masterpiece, he has dipped his toe into multiple other genres & story subjects. But even with this track record, when I first heard about Challengers, I was a little perplexed. The only other tennis-themed film I've watched is Wimbledon, which looks at a player who is in his last year as an older professional and, shock horror, wins Wimbledon as a total outsider. And for me Guadagnino would have no interest in this. But, as with other films he has done, particularly Bones & All, the initial subject matter (tennis,) is only used as a setting/sport for the characters to be tangentially involved in. Challengers is far more interested in what happens behind the scenes, despite there also being some great on-court action.
Patrick Zweig (O'Connor) & Art Donaldson (Faist) are tennis players as well as close friends. But they are also very different people: Zweig is a maverick, coasting on some talent as well as his good looks & extremely effective charm/chat-up abilities. Donaldson is much more the professional, fixated on every element of his game & training routine. One day, both men go to watch Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) play. From both a sporting ability perspective as well as physical attractiveness, both men are instantly smitten. The film follows them over more than a decade, both with their careers as well as their pursuit of Tashi.
The first thing to say is that, in terms of the actors & their tennis abilities, all of them look absolutely perfect in their roles. And this is vital considering how the tennis matches are also used as a metaphor for their internal emotions as well. And this use of the game alongside the relentless ambition & pursuit of both titles & Tashi really works.
The chemistry between the 3 leads is also great. Whereas in a film with more than 2 protagonists, often one is pushed aside or is almost like a 5th wheel, the script gives all of them generous amounts of time to build their characters, as well as decent meaty scenes playing off each other. The sexual tension element is also extremely effective, Zendaya flawlessly making you not only fancy her but fully understanding why the 2 men are willing to do almost anything to get with her.
However, the one element which didn't work well for me, and was genuinely shoehorned into the narrative by Guadagnino when he came aboard, was the attraction of Patrick & Art to each other. There are some little moments leading upto the famous hotel room scene which are playful in nature & insinuate something that may be below the surface. Then after said scene, which to me was almost Guadagnino being provocative for the sake of it, this attraction is never really mentioned again. And it jars the narrative for me, simply because it seems so out of place.
But everything else is spot on. The music, electronic beats alongside strings, really work in ratcheting up the tension & momentum. The sound is also very good, and as always with Guadagnino's films, the cinematography great.
If you are looking for a film which really pushes your buttons, you will find it here. And whilst there are some issues for me, I also really enjoyed & was gripped by it.
Challengers is not exactly a film about tennis or even about sex. It’s more of an erotic thriller on the nature of power dynamics. In one of the most erotic moments of the film, a flirting Zendaya coaxes Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist to start making out with her. What starts as a threesome make-out session diverts into O’Connor and Faist making out with each other as Zendaya sits back and watches the passion unfold. She soon leaves, having already gotten what she wanted: manipulating two tennis players clearly into each other to play as hard as they smooch.
The film is a brilliant tease in how it frames the desires of its characters within this tangled love triangle. Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) is all about tennis as a rising star in the sport. As she relays, her matches are not so much a competition as they are a relationship. That’s a notion that the tennis duo Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) can understand, given how they first view her performance on the court. She gets so into the match that she becomes as aggressive as a lover trying to spice things up in bed, roaring as she wins and demanding more fire from her opponent. To Patrick and Art, this is highly erotic and is viewed by them more like a sexual act they want in on. Their attraction, however, may be their undoing.
Darting between the aspiring days of college tennis and the bleak future for athletes in their twilight years, there’s great tension in the goals of these three players. It becomes clear that Patrick and Art are very much into each other, made clear when they admit during a drunken hangout with Tashi that they jerked off together as childhood friends. Even when lusting after the same woman, these two are so into each other it’s almost maddening that they’re not honest with their feelings. Just watch how hot and heavy things get when they playfully discuss their game while eating churros in a rather steamy manner.
It’s a vibe that Tashi can’t deny and she tries not to be a homewrecker. Ultimately, Tashi just wants them to play harder as a tennis players considering that’s her kink. With her body being seen as a prize, she taunts them both with the possibility of winning her heart. To her, this is just a playful carrot. Of course, as they grow older, things get complicated and vicious.
Director Luca Guadagnino keeps the blood flowing through this enticing ballet of tennis and sex. The camera stays firm and holds on to all the action and tension when someone is making out. When the tennis games start, there are various shots and camera movements, ranging from all-encompassing long shots to close-ups revealing all the sweat and muscle to a POV of the tennis players and ball. Placed over all these scenes is an almost deafeningly defining soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, bringing their A-game to this film. The driving electronic music makes the sports matches intense, and the sexual allure bubbles in most exchanges, as in the sauna scene between Patrick and Art, where it almost feels like the soundtrack is trying to stress, “KISS ALREADY, YOU FOOLS!”
Challengers may be Guadagnino’s best film, considering how all of it plays out with incredible attractiveness. The nonlinear storytelling keeps the film engaging, and the staging of the characters is so brilliant that you can read them easily. The drama is highly provocative and vicious, and my audience treated every savage insult and declaration from Tashi like a mean spike in a tennis match. A constant push can be felt throughout the film of wanting to do more and get closer to that moment of passion paying off with astonishing brilliance. Guadagnino certainly achieves that level of masterful filmmaking, crafting a picture with stirring drama, sexy allure, and even a natural level of comedy.