Review of the film “Challengers”: An passionate, personal tennis story that almost delivers an ace
Stillness. Complete stillness. Three perspiration droplets appear on Josh O’Connor’s solemn face, hinting at the pivotal moment. Go to the credits for the title. This is how Challengers starts, and we’re already gripping our nails to see who will prevail before we ever get a peek at the plot. However, Challengers is more than simply a tennis game. Luca Guadagnino creates an explosive film based on the world of tennis with Challengers by packing the traditional love triangle with a ton of relationship complexities and romance. Challengers provides an excellent experience with a mostly edge-of-the-seat sensation, however, it loses steam near the finish.
A classic three-act movie with a non-linear plot is Challengers. The match that serves as the film’s title “Challenger” pits Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) against Patrick Zweig (O’Connor). The two were formerly close friends and tennis partners, but their shared passion for tennis star Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) caused them to break up. In order to maintain our focus on the movie and give us a break from all the tennis excitement, the tale alternates between the Challenger match and the trio’s past throughout the duration of the movie.
Challengers is more about the bond and chemistry between Art, Patrick, and Tashi than it is about tennis. Tashi’s marriage to Art is established right away, and we get to see snippets of their dynamic—particularly how she makes all of the decisions for him, including what to eat and how much exercise to do. When they both wait in quiet for Art’s game to begin, as if they’re waiting for someone to come along and end their discomfort, we know that something is lacking from their connection. In a different scenario, Art says, “I love you,” and Tashi responds, “I know,” rather than the more customary “Love you too,” suggesting that they have a dominant-submissive relationship. Regarding the relationship between Patrick and Tashi, the core of Challengers is the brooding ego between these two characters.
The world-building in Challengers is as amazing, and it permeates even the off-court activity. In the first scene, we find Art, who is married to Tashi, waking up at the Ritz Hotel to a regimen that includes a planned exercise program, a tight diet, and even a bottle of “Electrolytes” drink. Instead, we see a ravenous Patrick, having just woken up from a nap in the vehicle, taking half of a doughnut from a stranger. Even if these comparisons are thought-provoking enough, there is another flashback when Patrick promises Art that Taisi Duncan “will make her whole family millionaires,” and Art goes on to live exactly that kind of life. The callbacks and staging in the movie have a significant impact on the storyline if they are well considered and interpreted.
There are a lot of coitus and passionate kissing sequences in Challengers, which are similar to the sexual exploration in Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name, a distinct genre movie. The timing of these sequences is such that they will distract you from the repetitive nature of tennis. Guadagnino successfully draws us into the world of tennis while simultaneously deftly drawing our attention away from it in a positive manner. When Art uses foul language, we hear the commentator state, “Code violation, audible obscenity, warning Donaldson.” In addition, there is a great throwback to Tashi’s backhand stroke, the use of lingo like “Deuce” and “Advantage,” and careful observation of how Art and Patrick serve. With the help of these components, the filmmaker makes sure that there is enough in the movie to satisfy tennis enthusiasts while also capturing the attention of non-tennis spectators with the chemistry and love between the protagonists.
The one weak point in the movie comes near the conclusion when there is a tennis ball overboard and the camera pans to the audience as they gaze to both ends of the court. You’re curious about the outcome by the time the third act arrives. The final 20 or so minutes of the movie are devoted to finding the solution to this question, which forces us to sit on the edge of our seats. As the sun rises, the fans watching the match in the movie begin to cheer. We too experience this feeling in the end: despite their exhaustion, they still want to see what comes next. However, the film’s climactic scene provides a solution to the million-dollar question in a manner that leaves you wondering for a very long time about its potential implications.
In the end, Challengers is a straightforward movie about the influence of a gifted and alluring lady on a long-standing friendship. The movie simply provides a non-straightforward summary of the nuances of submission and dominance in relationships.
PS: The movie will let you down if you were hoping for pure tennis or pure intimacy. And “forty-love” is the only kind of love you get, so much for those hoping for pure romance.
