Challengers is now playing in theaters.
2024 has been a monumental year for Spider-Man and Euphoria star Zendaya, with ‘Dune: Part Two‘ reigning as the highest-grossing movie. However, ‘Dune: Part 2’ thrives on its star-studded cast. In contrast, Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers’ marks a shift, being one of the first adult films to leverage Zendaya’s star power. This tennis drama, brimming with sexual tension, veers away from conventional sports flicks, making it a unique and intriguing watch for fans of Zendaya and drama-sports films.
Tashi Donaldson (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy, now coaches her husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), a professional tennis champion aiming for a comeback after a series of defeats. The plot thickens when Art faces off against Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend, sparking a whirlwind of emotions and tension.
The storytelling is told in a non-linear fashion.
It flashes back in time from the current tennis matchup to lay out the events of the former friendship and romance that the film centers around. It’s a film that volleys quickly and rarely stops for air. Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes’ story pairs perfectly with Guadagnino’s direction style. It leads to incredible performances from the trio of leads and a fascinatingly authentic dive into the sport of tennis.
Both male leads have incredible chemistry with Zendaya and with each other, which results in mesmerizing performances. While this isn’t Zendaya’s first foray into more adult territory (see HBO’s Euphoria), it’s still striking to see her in such an erotic scenario on the big screen—and it works. Faist and O’Connor are both incredible, but it was in particular who steals the film. The tennis scenes are incredibly fast-paced despite numerous moments of slow-motion interspersed. Sweat flies, rackets break, emotions surge—it’s really great stuff. It’s all underlined by an enthralling score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that superbly emphasizes the action and sexual tension.
Verdict
I give ‘Challengers’ 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is an engaging drama that oozes with sexual tension and holds fantastic performances from its leads. It’s hard to imagine being served a better tennis drama than this.
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Drew Munhausen
Media and Movie Mastermind who co-hosts the Moviegoers Society Podcast and Fresh out the Pod.