Challengers (2024) | Film Review

Revolving around an oddly throuple of a relationship, Challengers is a fascinating film. Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, a tennis soon-to-be pro who becomes involved with two fellow wannabe pros and best friends Patrick and Art (Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist) in a romantic back and forth. Both men love Tashi, and possibly each other. After suffering a decimating injury, Zendaya’s Tashi uses her drive to maintain her unyielding devotion to tennis, as well as her desire for constant challenge in everything. Including these relationships.

Zendaya arrives determined to serve a multilayered, nuanced performance of a woman consumed by a game she was destined to play, and now she is forced on the outside looking in. Tashi is a flawed, at times contemptuous person, and Zendaya refuses to turn away from the more complicated aspects of her character. Though O’Connor and Faist each get their moment to shine, this is Zendaya’s showcase.

What makes the movie fascinating is that though the performances are all top-notch, Challengers’ script by Justin Kuritzkes consists of constant metaphors and allegories to the sport of tennis, which amount to little more than a souped-up soap opera that ultimately spends two hours twirling its racket. Everything in the film alludes to tennis and the volleying back-and-forth of the ball on the court: Tashi, Patrick, Art’s relationship, the ups and downs of their careers, and even the mind-numbingly excessive time jumps that some audience members might need to log to keep straight.

Director Luca Guadagnino loves to flirt with sexuality and manipulation, this is no different. Guadagnino’s use of music and movement manages to jazz up the tennis scenes better than anyone else ever has (like golf, it is not the most exciting sport to watch), even as he bats all over the timeline to do so. The pulsing score amps up the most trivial of activities, elevating the tension with positive momentum.

That is, until the final act when Guadagnino puts a bit too much faith in his process and allows the camera to follow the point-of-view of tennis balls, accompanied by enough slow-motion of rackets being hoisted up in the air to cause Zack Snyder to salivate. Even still, the film ends with the audience more likely to roll their eyes than pumping their fists as the final act grows increasingly more ridiculous and ludicrous, ultimately leaving us wishing Zendaya had a better script with which to shine.

The actors all escape unscathed, but Challengers just can’t get over the net.