Challengers
A so-so erotic sports drama that deuces more than it aces. - 5.8/10
Full Disclosure: I had pretty high hopes going into this one. Zendaya is one of the brightest rising young actors of this generation, and her foray into R-rated adult drama piqued my interest. Unfortunately, this film about sex and tennis failed to hit the mark (or whatever tennis metaphor works). Oh, I also don’t know shit about tennis.
Zendaya didn’t need to do this film to convince anyone that she’s an adult, capital “A” actress. She left her “child star” persona behind long ago when she starred in HBO’s gritty teen drama series Euphoria in 2019. I can see why she chose this project, however. The script, penned by relative newcomer Justin Kuritzkes, made an appearance on the Hollywood Black List* a few years ago.
The script calls for a powerful lead character that any actress worth their salt would love to sink their teeth into. That’s probably why I was so hyped to see this film. I was completely unfamiliar with the other two actors who make up this tripod of love (Josh O’Connor & Mike Faist), but I thought Zendaya’s screen presence and the premise were more than enough to warrant the entry fee.
*The Black List is a list of the best scripts that have yet to be made.
Left to right: Mike Faist, Zendaya, Josh O’Connor.
So, I mentioned the premise, but what is the premise? Well, imaginary voice in my head, let me tell you! Challengers focuses on a love triangle between three incredibly talented and ambitious young tennis players. The two guys (Art, played by Faist, and Patrick, played by O’Connor) are BFFs since they were kids, and they both have the hots for the number one women’s tennis prodigy in the world, Tashi “The Duncanator” Duncan (Zendaya). Pay attention to those names. It gets pretty fucking complicated if you don’t remember who is who. The story progresses until the three are in their early thirties, and we see their intertwining relationships grow more and more toxic as the pressures of life and professional tennis take their toll.
Patrick, Tashi, Art
Matches are won and lost, hearts are broken and repaired. It has a lot of clunky dialogue and over the top melodramatic moments. I rolled my eyes several times. Oh, if you happen to be attracted to either or both of the two male actors, this film is for you. If you’re extremely into Zendaya aesthetically, just wait until it comes out on demand. Anything other than that would lead us into spoiler territory, so here we go…
Spoilers Ahead
Tashi’s trademark scream.
Art and Patrick bonded when they were both 12 and Patrick taught Art how to jack off. That’s not a joke, it’s a pivotal plot point, and jacking off is extremely important to pubescent males.
Art comes from nothing (well, if “nothing” means upper-middle class) compared to Patrick, who lives in what is described as a castle.
Fast forward a few years, and they win a major tennis doubles tourney. Then they come across Tashi Duncan, the hottest young tennis player (and hottest woman) they’ve ever seen.
Tashi is a supremely talented, focused, driven young woman whose tennis career is cut short when she suffers a brutal compound fracture in her knee. Her only outlet now is to coach her inferior husband to the glory she can never achieve.
Nowadays, Art is a successful and super rich pro tennis player, he’s married to his now-coach Tashi, and they have a little daughter. Patrick, however, is homeless and living in his car, unable to afford a meal, let alone a motel room.
Tashi looking cool as hell.
Unfortunately, that’s about all we get as far as character development is concerned. I guess that’d be fine, if this happened to be a Lifetime movie. That’s harsh, and Challengers definitely rises above that fare, but not by a whole hell of a lot. Predictably, Tashi fucks one of the guys, breaks up, fucks the other guy, marries that one, has a kid, resents her life, then fucks the first guy out of spite and regret. Fancy a game of tennis, anyone? 🎾
While the movie is advertised as a love triangle, it’s really about two boys who love each other, and this wicked parasite of a woman who splits them apart. The scene where two guys make out for a good minute or so wasn’t even the most homoerotic scene of the film. Oh, no… That was reserved for the climactic tennis match. Between the slow motion, the soundtrack, and the audience being forced to engage with every single bead of sweat that poured from their muscular bodies, it put the Top Gun volleyball scene to shame. Anyhoo, luckily, the love between two dudes triumphs in the end… I think?
Looks like the dude on the right has spunk in his hair.
The highlight of the film for me was an extended long shot that lasted about four minutes. In one take, it went from a sex scene to a breakup scene between Tashi and Patrick. It was a brilliant piece of acting from both players, and a phenomenal choice by director Luca Guadagnino.
The fact that 27-year old Zendaya can play an 18-year old and a 30-something as well in the same film speaks to her range. The other two main actors really only had different hair when the time jumps occurred. Zendaya was more than a haircut. You could tell the difference between when she was playing a teenager and when she was playing a mom in her thirties. She was exuberant and playful with a joie de vivre when she was 18. She was cold, jaded and distant in her latter stage.
The obscene amount of product placement in this film wowed me. It made me wonder if the production company may have made this film for free! Just for starters, there were clear placements of: Gatorade, Coke, Taco Bell, Adidas, Applebee’s, Heinz, Aston Martin, and even Camel Cigarettes!!! It’s the first time I’ve seen name-brand cigarettes in a new film in probably 20 years.
All in all, I’d recommend waiting until you can see this movie in one of your streaming packages.
The OTP of this film (One True Pairing)
5 Quick Hits
I want to pose an honest question to anyone who’s into dudes: Are these two guys attractive? Zendaya’s character definitely has a “type” in this film: A large schnoz and larger ears.
The dick to tit ratio in this film is about 10:1, so make your movie viewing choices accordingly.
Trent Reznor’s driving EDM score kept the story going in a lot of cases.
The “THWACK!” sound effect each time a tennis ball was hit was really well done.
Nelly’s 2002 hit “Hot in Herre” was used as a time stamp song in this film. Ouch.
