Challengers Movie Review

 

Challengers

Synopsis: Former tennis prodigy turned coach helps her husband break his losing streak as must face off against his former best friend and her former boyfriend.

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Stars: Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor

Runtime: 2 hours 11m

Genre: Sport based Drama

Challengers is my 58th film of the year (nothing special there) but it also marks my 1,000th film since 2014!

It is also my second film starring Zendaya of 2024, my first being Dune: Part Two, this time the 27 year old Californian christened "Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman" takes centre stage in this tennis based drama. 

Let's break it down..

Story and Plot

Following on from tennis based drama's such as Wimbledon and Match Point, Set over the course of 13 years, Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya) a tennis player turned coach. As she turns the ailing career of Art (Faist) her once grand slam winning husband around by entering him into a low level tournament on the pro tour. The problem is his opponent is Patrick (O'Connor) a once promising but now burnt out player that used to be Art's best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.

Challengers sits at a 95% on RT and having just seen the movie, I can see why. This movie was fantastic. It gripped me from the first frame, cleverly interweaving on court action for a metaphor on what's going on off court. With a fantastic bitingly sharp script, Challengers is definitely more a love triangle drama, this is NOT a romantic movie. 

It starts in the present day and zig zags back in time, but unlike say Greta Gerwig's Little Women where you are never quite sure where you are on the characters timeline, Challengers nicely title cards each portion of the movie. The chemistry between the lead trio is electric, sexy, young and dynamic. Zendaya is very much the main star with Faist & O'Connor offering solid support. 

Cast

Since Zendaya's breakout role in HBO's Euphoria, her star has steadily been on the rise. Migrating to the silver screen, the 27 year old has covered a lot of ground in her short career so far, The Greatest Showman (Musical), Malcolm & Marie (Indie), Spider-Man trilogy (Comic book movies), and of course Dune Part One following up with this year's Dune Part Two. 

It is with Challengers however that audiences get to see the megastar powerhouse that is Zendaya. Make no mistake, this is her movie, and boy does she shine, she is superb. Seductive and driven in equal measure, Tashi lives and breathes tennis, even if that is to the detriment to those nearest to her. 

Attached to the project even before director, Guadagnino, Zendaya spent three months with pro tennis player-turned-coach Brad Gilbert to prepare for this role. This paid off as she is utterly convincing as a grand slam champion turned coach. 

Playing Tashi's husband is Mike Faist as Art. The 32 year old rising star hailing from Columbus, Ohio is best known as Riff in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. He will be seen later this year in Jeff Nichol's The Bikeriders along side Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy. Faist in Challengers is fantastic and proves he is an actor with a career to keep a close eye on.

Rounding out the trio is Josh' O Connor as Patrick, the former best friend to Art and boyfriend of Tashi. The 34 year old British actor hailing from Cheltenham is best known as portraying Prince Charles in the Netflix series The Crown. In Challengers, O'Connor continues to show us why he's a star to look out for. He plays Patrick as the lovable rogue with a twinkle in his eye and delivers a great performance.

The chemistry between the two male leads is equally fantastic as well, a firm friendship with a frisson of whether there could be something more.

Sound and Spectacle

Fantastic sound design for the on-court action. As for spectacle, more on the on screen action below and there is also an impressive storm that blow's it way through the latter part of the movie.

On screen Action

Well it's no surprise to learn that the on screen action in this movie is tennis court based, where this movie differs from previous tennis movies is the way director Guadagnino and his DP, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom shot the on-court action. As well as the matches being shot dynamically from the side-lines and above, the camera is sometimes from the POV of the players, the ball and even the net. The movie not only has adrenaline fuelled exciting almost gladiatorial matches in themselves, the action on court nicely propels the off court story as well, as mentioned above serving as a metaphor. It's often Break Point on and off the court. 

As for the other type of "action" well as Zendaya on various red carpet premiere events for the movie has said, "there are no sex scenes in this movie". She is correct, whilst just foreplay it does nothing to lessen the steamy and sexually charged atmosphere of the movie. As for that scene with the three on the bed from the trailer that promises more, well let's just say you'll be in for a surprise.

Music and Score

The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross which is inspired by 80's techno electric is good, but at times is a little jarring with the on screen action, raising the adrenaline then eyebrows in equal measure. There are also some strange needle drops as well.

Challengers aces it. Zendaya firmly plants her "megastar" status with both Faist & O'Connor continuing to shine, the trio's chemistry is electric. It's sexy, thrilling with riveting plot twists and a banger script. Game - Set - Match.

Verdict  - Matched Expectations