Challengers follows tennis player turned coach Tashi (Zendaya) and her husband, Art (Mike Faist), as he faces off against his once best friend, Patrick (Josh O’Connor), in a critical match.
I’m sure to most of the public Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor are relative unknowns. Faist was a standout in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. And I am a huge fan of O’Connor’s performance as a young Prince Charles in the Netflix drama, The Crown. Zendaya, of course, has appeared in the Dune and Spider-Man films as well as HBO’s Euphoria. Needless to say, these three are young rising stars and have proved once again they are extremely talented in Challengers.
Zendaya as Tashi simply exudes confidence. She easily wraps both boys around her finger. She is obviously talented at her sport but is also extremely egotistical. She is obsessed with tennis and does not want to discuss anything else. Unfortunately, she gets injured during her athletic rise and must instead put all her energy into perfecting Art’s game. Her character is written as unknowable though. You never understand her motivations.
I grew up with the “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games” books so I am beyond familiar with love triangle narratives. And there is plenty of juicy drama with this one. The dynamic here highlights how Art worships Tashi, while Patrick lusts after her. But there is also a sexual tension between the two boys. However, Art tends to put Tashi on a pedestal, while Patrick seems to understand her personality more.
This love triangle does play out like a tennis match. Again, it’s understandable why they both go after Tashi. Let’s just say Zendaya with a bob is very powerful. Not to mention, Tashi is fully sure of who she is. Honestly though, these men are both probably better off without her. We get to see how her and Art’s marriage plays out and it’s not a happy one.
Art is the most subdued one of the three, but he is the one who gets in between Tashi and Patrick. He appreciates Tashi’s talent along with her confidence and beauty. He takes her advice seriously when she gives out pointers. He falls in love with her, or at least, the idea of her. However, later on in their marriage, he is tired of following her every directive. She is the one controlling his career and image, not him. But he still wants to make her happy and is determined to stop his losing streak because he is afraid that she’ll leave him. With Tashi, you need to win matches to win her affection.
On the other hand, we have Patrick. Patrick is a dirtbag. He’s always in someone’s personal space, he is arrogant, and he is a playboy. He also eats a lot of phallic-shaped foods in front of Art. He makes it look sensual but also mocking. He is very alluring though and you can’t help but be drawn by him. However, I wish we had some more insight into Patrick’s tennis career. We see that in the present day, he is facing money troubles and is underperforming in his matches, though it seems he may be doing that deliberately. That’s never really expanded upon though.
This film is marketed to be risque. There is some nudity and a lot of close-up shots of sweaty body parts. The shots of sweaty body parts come from tennis matches though, and while there is foreplay, there are no actual sex scenes in the film. It’s been said in some interviews about this film but tennis, in this case, is the sex.
One gripe I had with the film is that there was too much slow motion during the climactic tennis match showdown between Patrick and Art. Again, I understand the choice, which is to help build up the tension between the two, but I was ready to see who the winner would be instead of the film trying to draw it out.
I also must admit that it took me a while to get into the film due to the nonlinear editing. We start in the present day, go back a few days, and then flash back again to Patrick and Art first meeting Tashi. Again, I understand why this choice was made as it ramp up the present-day tension between the characters, but this editing choice was a tad jarring and I feel that it messed with the film’s pacing.
Overall, I think the reason to check out Challengers is the acting. The three leads are all compelling and play well off of each other. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is another highlight. The score has a high-energy techno beat that really complimented the narrative. Director Luca Guadagnino successfully crafted a sexy, enticing love triangle in the world of sports, but I think the pacing could have been smoother and the script is missing some character depth.
I give Challengers a B+
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