Challengers is a 2024 romantic coming-of-age sports drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name, Bones and All), and written by Justin Kuritzkes. The film was originally expected to premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival, but was pulled from the festival by Amazon MGM Studios due to the ongoing 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event -- close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.
The cast includes Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist (West Side Story).
Challengers made its debut in theaters on April 26th, courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Before the trailer even dropped for Challengers all I needed to hear was the name Zendaya and I was sold. I knew the movie would be worth watching, but I still wasn’t even close to being prepared for what I was about to experience. This movie completely caught me off guard, and I will never look at Zendaya the same way again. She was absolutely incredible here, delivering a performance for the ages. She honestly blew me away with an incredibly captivating on-screen presence that really set the tone for the film.
Challengers is really a clinic on the acting front from all involved, and I absolutely loved the amazing score and what I thought was some really creative camera work. The film just has this ability to transport viewers in such a way that you feel like you are existing shoulder to shoulder with these characters as the story unfolds, and that is just the magic touch of director Luca Guadagnino.
Challengers is labeled as a sports drama film, but it is really so much more than that. This is a coming-of-age story of intense ambition and what really amounts to emotional warfare. The line between the love for the sport of tennis and the sanctity of marriage and the bonds of friendship is blurred throughout the film. Challengers utilizes a technique of storytelling where it jumps back and forth between time periods rather often as it builds towards the culmination of what is essentially a tipping point. The screenplay from Justin Kuritzkes was just awesome as he was able to leave little breadcrumbs for viewers as they slowly figured out why these characters have reached this boiling point of emotions.
You can just see it on their faces that so much has happened leading up to the culminating match which is also how the film opens, and the journey to get to that point feels raw and just authentic. I just loved how the story was able to come to life and merge the infatuation with sports and the complex inner-workings of relationships.
Obsession is a dangerous thing especially during our formidable years, and if that obsession is geared towards someone as beautiful as Zendaya’s Tashi Donaldson, you better watch out. Bottom line, this dude knows his way around storytelling so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he is married to Past Lives writer/director Celine Song. I look forward to keeping an eye out for what he decides to work on next because I am officially a fan.
The cast of Challengers is absolute fire from top to bottom, and speaking of heat you better wear your sunglasses because my girl Zendaya was burning like the sun from the beginning of the film. To say that she has blown up as an actress would be an understatement, but this is a very different role for her. Zendaya plays such a strong-willed and fiery character with unmatched determination, but what I liked most was the emotional complexity she displayed. She is at the core of the love triangle between the main characters, but it is so difficult to tell whether she is more invested in the relationships or her love of the game. She looks absolutely incredible in Challengers, and to me it felt like this character was written with her in mind.
Far from what I would consider to be a household name, but West Side Story actor Mike Faist was just fantastic in this role. Faist plays the role of Art Donaldson, a talented tennis player who is also a bit more reserved and in touch with his emotions. Faist has amazing chemistry with Zendaya from the outset, and I really enjoyed watching these two on-screen together. Josh O’Connor plays Patrick Zweig who is more of the alpha-male of the duo and borderline sociopath.
It was almost surreal watching O’Connor play this role because I grew up around people like him, someone that is dangerously capable of doing anything and everything to get what they want while more often than not leaving a path of demolition behind in the process. He is the opposite of a sympathetic character, yet at the same time you can’t help but be pulled in by his overwhelming confidence which more often than not equates to a cocky douchebag attitude. Bottom line, O’Connor is a beast in this role and a big reason why the characters are able to flourish throughout the film.
On the technical side of things Challengers hits so damn hard. First of all this is not a movie that is able to rely on the usual bells and whistles as it relates to special effects or CGI, instead it goes old school with great camera work, a ridiculously satisfying score and great sound effects, and cinematography that puts viewers right on the court. As soon as the movie started the music brought to us compliments of composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross had me dangling like a fish on a hook. It was just so damn perfect and gave Challengers an immediate identity and I was loving every minute of it.
The score also benefits from some fantastic slow-motion sequences which I really enjoyed as they seemed to add a sense of depth to the emotional weight of that specific scene. I also really liked how one second the music would be booming through the speakers and all of a sudden it would stop just as the action on the screen paused, and it would kick back on as things got going which I thought was a really nice touch. I have been listening to the films soundtrack off and on at home since seeing the movie. The camera work was really cool too as it seemed to really tie into the game of tennis, going as far as having a camera on the actual ball during a tense volley. I have known for quite some time just how talented and accomplished director Luca Guadagnino is but he still found a way to surprise me with Challengers.
THE VERDICT
An intoxicating cinematic experience featuring a transformative performance from talented actress Zendaya, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers is a top-tier coming-of-age sports drama and an instant classic for the genre. Tennis fans will be in awe from start to finish and left begging for more, but this film will hit different for anyone willing to give it a chance. Get out and see Challengers sooner than later because this is a theater experience not to be missed.
TED TAKES RATING - 9.4/10
Challengers is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.