Challengers: Film Review

Challengers: Film Review

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re reviewing Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.”

Some movies have audiences sold with the first trailer. “Challengers” had the internet buzzing with a single image of Mike Faist, Zendaya, and Josh O’Connor sitting on a bed in the hotel room. Honestly, the film didn’t need any promotional material beyond that to hook us in. The image more or less sums up the themes of “Challengers,” serving as a teaser in more ways than one. Yet, it’s arguably not even the steamiest moment in Guadagnino’s latest masterstroke. The most sensual scenes don’t take place on a bed, but rather, on the tennis court. Those who go in expecting something more overtly erotic might be caught off guard. Through the power of suggestion, though, “Challengers” turns an air-conditioned theater into a sweatbox.

O’Connor and Faist play Patrick and Art, respectively, best friends since childhood who remain joined at the hips as they rise through the ranks on the tennis scene. While they’ve spent most of their lives playing doubles, a third player gets caught in the net with the arrival of Zendaya’s Tashi. An up-and-coming tennis superstar, Tashi can have any man she wants. As it turns out, she wants Patrick and Art, who are both equally entranced by her. Tashi isn’t stuck in the middle of a love triangle. She’s more like a Venus and Serena Flytrap, alluring the two boys as if they were bugs. Tashi says she isn’t a homewrecker, but there’s no denying that three’s a crowd on and off the court.

Justin Kuritzkes’ riveting screenplay is mostly told out of order, adding layers to these characters one flashback at a time. In the present, Tashi and Art have asserted themselves as a power couple, but that power is gradually depleting. A comeback match soon turns into a heated reunion as Art and a down-on-his-luck Patrick find themselves on opposite sides of the net. While both are still playing for Tashi’s affection, she never feels like a prize to be won. O’Connor believes that every member of this trio plays the puppet master at some point. Of the three characters, though, Tashi maintains the most control with the ball rarely leaving her court. There’s a fourth player that trumps all others: tennis itself.

With an injury cutting her career short, Tashi seeks glory through her two men. Whether Tashi chooses Art or Patrick, they’ll always come second after the game. Both know this deep down, but that only motivates them to play harder. Being her husband, Art would love nothing more than for Tashi to say tennis doesn’t matter and he’s enough. Even if Tashi told him that, their relationship would still be clouded by doubt. Zendaya has matured exponentially as an actress in just a few years. In “Challengers,” she gives her most internal performance as an enigma that Art and Patrick are fruitlessly trying to unwrap. Neither knows what she’s thinking with Tashi constantly on guard. Every time one of them breaks through, Tashi swings back.

Part of what makes this love triangle so intense is that it’s not strictly heterosexual. As much as Art and Patrick want Tashi, you get the sense that they want each other as well. Although the two claim to be nothing more than friends, Guadagnino fills their scenes with tension. Whether or not it’s sexual tension is up to the audience. Of course, there’s plenty of subtext to interpret. Watching the guys chow down on bananas and churros, one can’t help but notice that they have an appetite for food with a particular shape. It brings an infamous scene from “Superbad” to mind. O’Connor has also compared “Challengers” to “Superbad,” saying both are “films that you can just keep watching because it’s such a thrill.”

Zendaya, meanwhile, has described “Challengers” as “Codependency: The Movie.” The dynamic between Art and Patrick could be read as friendship, romance, or codependency. In any case, the two struggle to live without each other, even when their rivalry is at its most bitter. Once Tashi is in the picture, she becomes another essential player that neither can go on without. To an extent, Tashi is also codependent. Sure, she treats Art and Patrick like they’re trading cards. Without at least one of them by her side, though, her ties to tennis will essentially be severed. In that sense, none of these characters can have what they want. Art and Patrick will never fully have Tashi while she’ll never be able to call herself an all-star.

“Challengers” plays like a fiery tennis match with the audience being whacked back and forth. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s cinematography makes us feel as if we’re the ball while Marco Costa’s editing provides a unique perspective from each character, bringing out their turmoil. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross emphasizes the raw passion poured into every shot, leaving us physically exhausted by the finale. At times, Guadagnino can overindulge in slow-motion, especially in the third act as we exceed the two-hour mark. Yet, this does allow the audience to soak up every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears as we work our way to the climax.

Without going into specific spoilers, the big finish is inclined to leave viewers divided. Instead of building to an explosion, “Challengers” defuses with an overdue breather. It’s an ending that has its cake and eats it too. Some may see it as a cop-out, but given the nature of these characters, perhaps this is the only way the film could end. Tashi, Art, and Patrick can’t be satisfied with one or the other. They need to have it all. The final shot reflects this, although the ending by no means wraps everything up in a tidy package. It’s an ambiguous outcome that leads the audience to ask, “Is everyone in this scenario a winner or loser?”

“Challengers” is one of the most fascinating sports movies to come out this century. To simply describe this as a sports movie would do it a disservice, however. Tennis provides the narrative’s driving force, but the film plays more like a game of chess with the internal battles proving even more gripping than the physical ones. Unlike a conventional sports movie, there isn’t a particular player that we find ourselves siding with. Each character here has the depth of a Shakespearean figure, earning our empathy one minute and our disdain the next. You may go into the theater thinking this is a movie about tennis. Walking out, you’ll never look at tennis quite the same again.

Guadagnino previously gave us the queer classic “Call Me by Your Name.” Some may debate if “Challengers” meets the criteria of queer cinema, but both share a similar theme of longing. Herein lies Guadagnino’s strength as a storyteller, saying more through the unspoken rather than having the characters unleash their innermost desires. While Guadagnino brings quiet intimacy to both films, “Challengers” is ultimately a hot and heavy experience that’ll have your heart racing from start to finish. Elevated by a Triple Grand Slam of powerhouse performances, MsMojo is awarding “Challengers” a 9 out of 10.

What did you think of “Challengers?” Let us know in the comments.