Challengers: Film Review
Zendaya is one of the most in-demand stars of the moment; we’ve only just seen her in Dune: Part Two but she’s already back with Challengers.
In Luca Guadagnino‘s relationship drama, she plays Tashi Duncan, a tennis coach locked in a love triangle with players Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). Things come to a head when her husband Art goes head-to-head against his former best friend Patrick at a Challengers tournament.
This is the best Zendaya has ever been, which is a huge statement given how incredible she is in Euphoria. Challengers marks her first time playing an adult role (she has a child and steamy scenes!) and she makes it look effortless. Tashi has so much power knowing they both want her and she calls the shots and takes no crap. I loved her dialogue so much.
Faist and O’Connor match her performance and bring different energies to the mix, with Art as the vulnerable softie in love with Tashi and Patrick as the cheeky womaniser who wants her. I really enjoyed watching these characters and their relationships evolve. They have terrific chemistry but the film’s overall sexiness has been overhyped. Sure, it deeply appreciates their hot bodies and there are some steamy moments, but there are no actual sex scenes.
I really enjoyed Justin Kuritzkes‘ incredible script and was surprised by how funny it was. I laughed quite a bit! However, I wish the narrative didn’t hop around in time so much. I like being able to keep track of the chronology of the story and I struggled to do that. Deviating from a classic linear structure is fair enough but hopping back and forth (like a tennis match) can also kill the momentum if it happens too much.
The biggest issue for me was Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross‘ pulsating techno score. It’s an unusual choice for this type of movie but I liked the music, particularly during the exciting tennis matches. However, I didn’t agree with its use everywhere. Playing the score that loud and hard over a conversation scene is annoying – you should be able to hear the dialogue but instead, you’re distracted. The mix felt off; the actors should not be competing to be heard over the music. It really took me out of the scene.
The film was also slightly too long at 131 minutes and I didn’t love the ending, but I cannot fault the exciting tennis match the narrative revolves around. There are unusual and inventive camera shots (ball cam, racquet cam!) and the last few points are fantastically paced and edited, making them very tense and gripping.
I might not be as effusive as the majority but Challengers is still another top-quality watch from Guadagnino.
In cinemas from Friday 26th May