Film review: Challengers
Has tennis ever been so steamy? Dramatic sports romance 'Challengers' releases on April 26th.
In Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, Zendaya plays feisty Tashi Donaldson née Duncan, a former tennis champ turned coach after a nasty knee injury. We meet her and her husband Art (Mike Faist) in 2019 in the final of a low-level Challenger tennis tournament as he plays against his former best friend - and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend - Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
Over the course of two-ish hours we are transported back and forth between the trio’s past and the present day, unravelling the complexity of their relationships with one another. This really is a love triangle - Patrick and Art’s relationship is just as important in this film as each of theirs with Tashi.
Zendaya is the ‘big name’ in Challengers but it’s interesting to note she produced it too. Perhaps there’s more to see from her behind the camera in the filmmaking world?
After seeing the extremely suggestive trailer I went into Challengers expecting little more than a steamy love triangle. I was so pleasantly surprised.
The characters were well fleshed out (I particularly loved Tashi), each with their flaws and likeable traits, the plot was well-paced and led to an epic crescendo, and the cinematography was brilliant with some very unique shots. At one point, you are literally a tennis ball - need I say more?
And the tennis was actually good. It’s fantastically dramatised and is woven into the plot with ease.
I could probably write a whole Substack on the costume design which, in my opinion, was perfect. From the tennis looks to off-court outfits, the wardrobes told us so much about each character - and all of Tashi’s outfits were hits.
Music plays a big part in the film, too, and I enjoyed how the sound reacted to what was happening in each scene and how the characters were responding to it.
I’m a huge fan of Zendaya and knew she would be incredible in Challengers (I expect nothing less) but I have to commend the acting all round. There are virtually no secondary characters in this film - Zendaya, Faist and O’Connor carry the entire thing, and their acting is sensational.
One thing that I wasn’t expecting was humour. Don’t be mistaken, this is not a comedy, but I found myself chuckling at various points and could hear others in the cinema laughing too. Take this exchange between Patrick and Tashi, for example:
“Maybe you just wanted to see me.”
“I have seen you. You look like shit.”
While I don’t have any gripes with the film, I would say you need at least a little tennis knowledge before watching. Just basic awareness of the points system and some jargon like the meaning of a Grand Slam - nothing major.
All in all, it’s an ace. Challengers was an enjoyable, thrilling ride where what happens off the tennis court is even more exciting than the game being played. It releases in UK and US cinemas on April 26th.