Sex sells. Sports sell. Retro EDM? Can’t hurt. It’s all included in masterItalian film director Luca Guadagnino’snew erotic tennis-centric dramaChallengers, a raunchy crowd-pleaser that seems a bit self-aware of how darn good it is from the get-go. Even before we see the iconic MGM “lion roar” logo at the beginning, we see quick glimpses of the tennis-player characters played by acclaimed performers Zendaya (Spider-Man), Josh O’Connor (Emma.) and Mike Faist (The Bikeriders). We get it, Luca — this movie is going to be epic. And sure enough, it is.
Aside from two minor complaints about the overly long end sequence and O’Connor’s eye-roll of a tennis serve that will make real-life players cringe (you’ll see),this movie is darn near perfect— but definitely not suitable for young tennis players out there. From screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, this is hard R-rated stuff that injects a lot of tactile sensuality into a psychological drama.
Challengers' Not-So-Average Love Triangle
Challengers
Luca Guadagnino’s last movie,Bones and Allwith Taylor Russelland Timothée Chalamet, also wasn’t exactly suitable for the younger demographics. Even withCall Me By Your Name, the director was pushing boundaries, and the same rings true withChallengers. No, this isn’t just another heated sports movie about a few extremely competitive stars trying to win it all. Actually, in some cases, it’s quite the opposite. One of the players here is running out of steam when the film begins, another simply looks like a greasy burnout, and the third palpably refuses to believe that the glory days have come and gone. Talk about “false hope.”
Tashi (Zendaya) has essentially lost her career as a tennis player, but is now coaching her husband, Patrick (O’Connor). He happens to be on a losing streak and is about to face off against Art (Faist), a childhood friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. There are obviously a lot of emotions, secrets, regrets, and desires swirling between these three, and it’s thrilling to watch it play out.
You’ve probably seen the promotional campaign, which certainly dubsChallengersas Zendaya’s moviefirst and foremost. But the two-time Emmy winner for HBO’sEuphoriaisn’t exactly the sole scene-stealer here. In fact, Rue might be a juicier role for her at the end of the day, but her tennis-star persona, Tashi, is certainly an interesting and magnetic character flanked by two men who are trying to prove themselves (in the tennis world and in the bedroom, to themselves and to others). You don’t need to be a sex therapist to foresee this budding love triangle of sorts turning complicated…
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Shut Up and Dance!
The storytelling itself also becomes a little complicated, as the narrative becomes disjointed real quickly. But the occasional title cards revealing leaps in time, which are sometimes 10 years or even longer, help us keep on top of things. Sometimes O’Connor sports snarly facial hair, sometimes he looks young and fresh. And there’s no denying that all three stars are dashing. Regardless of your sexual preference, there’s a good chance at least one or two moments inChallengersmight just fire you up.
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And on that note, it’s not just the erotic chemistry that will get your blood pumping.The thumping electronic dance music certainly makes its stamp onChallengers, which some viewers might perceive as overkill in certain scenarios. Watch out for one heated exchange between Patrick and Tashi inside her Stanford dorm room before a big match. There is no tennis playing here whatsoever, but rather a fiery smash-hitting of insults and put-downs between the on-and-off-again lovers.
The purposefully overbearing musichere — perhaps reminding movie buffs of Jon Brion’s outrageously loud musical score in Paul Thomas Anderson’sPunch Drunk Love— sheds light on how the emotional intensity of a Grand Slam match can be felt by tennis stars outside the court as well. As the audience member, meanwhile, you might just want to leap out of your seat and dance in the aisle.
Don’t Underestimate Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist
That fiery exchange between Patrick and Tashi also highlights just how talented O’Connor really is, and afterChallengersand hisrecently released filmLa Chimera, we can’t wait to see what the British performer has in store for us next. He and Emma Corrin stole the show in season four ofThe Crownon Netflix, but one could argue this new stunner of a sports movie “challenges” his Prince Charles turn asO’Connor’s finest role to date.
And then there’s Faist, who was dynamite inPinball(2022) and, aside from the Oscar-winning Ariana DeBose, the best part of Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Story. Out of the three stars ofChallengers, his performance as Art is perhaps the most subdued, but that’s not to say he doesn’t nail the part, tennis-star looks and all.
Plus, Art also has a moment to shine inthe thrilling conclusion, a final tennis match of sorts between him and his longtime pal. No spoilers here, but there’s an epic moment of discovery that leaves us utterly terrified as to what Art will do next.The only issue with this sequence is that it’s about 15 minutes too long. But we can forgive Guadagnino’s artistic decision here, since the rest of the movie oozes with raw energy that might leave you wanting to see it again.
From Amazon MGM Studios,Challengerswill be playing in theaters April 26.
