Luca Guadagnino's Challengers lays its cards on the table pretty early. Shortly after meeting Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O'Connor), Zendaya's tennis phenom Tashi Duncan explains what she thinks tennis truly is — a relationship between the players that can be as satisfying, if not more so, than anything else in the world. And Tashi is a master at playing the game.
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This admittedly made Challengers a different experience than I was expecting. Guadagnino doesn't simply provide fans a straight forward love triangle, but a jumbled look at the relationship between the three main characters over multiple years, with many of the off-court moments even more thrilling than what happens on it. The lead trio of actors are all strong in playing this game, with the end result an entertaining experience, but one that may leave audiences in a different, stranger place than they expected.
Working from an original script by Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers follows tennis players Art, Patrick and Tashi. Art and Patrick are close friends when they meet Tashi, who is set to become the next big thing in tennis, but they each have eyes for her. The movie follows the trio's romantic feelings and career aspirations, which are more complicated than we can really discuss without getting into spoilers.
The trailers for Challengers have definitely been playing up the movie's sexy aspects, and it certainly has that (though it is restrained to a respectable amount, aside from the use of a lot of tongue). But where the movie really sizzles is when the characters are just talking. This is most evident in exchanges between O'Connor's Patrick and Zendaya's Tashi, with one scene in particular being shot like a tennis match as the camera pans back and forth as each gets off volley after volley.
It feels like it was definitely Guadagnino's intention to make scenes like this the more intense ones, but in contrast, the actual tennis scenes are boring. Not for lack of trying though. Guadgnino and cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom employ a lot of different techniques to make the games on the court look and feel unique, but it's often more jarring than anything.
Sticking behind the camera for a moment, while I don't think Challengers' score is one that is instantly memorable, the work from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross definitely does enhance key moments of the movie. So as always they help elevate the proceedings.
Still, whether this movie works for you or not hinges entirely on the relationship between Art, Patrick and Tashi. Thankfully, all three of Faist, O'Connor and Zendaya are on their game here. Zendaya and O'Connor (in particular) definitely get the showier roles, and there is an electricity whenever the two of them are on screen together, but let's not overlook Faist. His portrayal of Art is more passive by design — at one point their characters are described as fire and ice — with him serving as the counterweight to his co-stars that the story calls for.
All of the choices by the actors work in service of the story, which is well crafted by Kuritzkes. It lays the bread crumbs for many key moments and character revelations throughout and effectively brings them back. Still, the ending is not conventional, which may leave audiences a bit confused when the credits start to roll; for instance, laughter was the biggest reaction that I heard in the screening I attended. It makes more sense when you take a moment to think about it, but in the moment the ending definitely feels lackluster.
Excuse the simplification, but Challengers can be challenging. However, it is acted very well and when the it's firing on all cylinders it is exhilarating to watch. Still, while there's always intrigue, there are lags and bits that don’t play as well, keeping it from being a true smash.
Challengers premieres exclusively in movie theaters worldwide on Friday, April 26.
