In theaters April 26
THE PLOT:
Within the high stakes, high pressure world of professional tennis we find tennis phenom-turned coach, Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) watching tennis star, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) play struggling pro, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) in a qualifying match for the U.S. Open.
As we watch these two men fight it out on the court, we discover through flashback that these three people have a sordid history dating back to their junior tennis days.
As this story slowly unfolds, viewers find that this match has many more implications for these three adults than meets the eye.
KENT’S TAKE:
“Challengers” is the latest film from director Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name,” “Bones and All”) and struggles with many of its elements to create a coherent message and narrative.
Tashi was a tennis star-in-the-making at 18 when a knee injury sidelined her career. Meeting Art and Patrick in the junior ranks, Tashi dated Patrick, but ended up marrying Art. Now Art is struggling at the sunset of his career, while Tashi is trying to prolong Art’s career as long as she can. Meanwhile, Patrick’s career never really materialized due to his questionable attitude. Through flashbacks we learn that these two men have grown up together and both are in love with Tashi.
Poorly written and directed, with shallow characters, narrative and uninspired dialogue this story is about a “love triangle” without love. The love triangle is muddled with ill-defined characters. Zweig and Donaldson are roommates since childhood, recounting stories of mutual masturbation to Tashi. Tashi continues to claim she is a “home-wrecker” between the two boys insinuating that they have a relationship. The question of Zweig and Donaldson’s sexuality throws a wrench into the entire narrative – are they in love with her? Or denying a love for each other? Tashi then gets them to make out at one point. Yet, both boys/men are in love with her and struggle for many years to get past or fall back in love with her. This muddled sexuality in the film is confusing at best and totally derails the premise of the film at worst. The sexual nature of the film isn’t helped by the fact that Zendaya’s performance is lackluster and her Tashi is absolutely callous.
Set within the ranks of the pro tennis circuit, tennis takes a back seat to unlikeable characters. Digital effects to make these actors look like tennis players doesn’t help because the tennis is simply the setting of the story. No care was taken to show the beauty and style of pro tennis. Doing this, then adding in the high stakes, high pressure lifestyle would have at least offered something for viewers on which to latch their emotions. Instead, tennis is simply framed as an elitist sport inhabited by pompous, success-driven a _ _ holes who put their careers ahead of everything else.
These are dreadful and unredeeming characters. It’s not that they are evil people – well, Tashi is a horrible person – but they are just self-serving. Eventually we discover that Art is supposed to be the good guy, but it takes most of the film to discover that he is victimized by both his wife and former best friend. The writing also limits the characterization. Instead of developing these characters to bolster the emotional connection with the audience, they continuously focus on the sexuality. Regardless of the orientation of the relationship, it’s the emotional connection that allows audiences to feel for the characters and their relationship. The focus on the physical side only is a lazy way to build a story.
In addition, the music in this film is not only poorly curated, but it also hinders the film because none of it comes close to matching any emotional state or activity in various scenes. As this senseless film lumbers toward its dissatisfying end, viewers will realize that they have been duped even more than poor Art.
LYNN’S TAKE:
Basically, Francois Truffaut’s “Jules and Jim” knockoff set in the highly competitive world of professional tennis, “Challengers” is a baffling vanity exercise that is a disservice to the considerable talents of its super-cool star trio.
Director Luca Guadagnino has always favored more style than substance, which is frustrating because he tends to meander. (Cases in point: “Call Me by Your Name” and “A Bigger Splash” – although fans like that he is fond of pretty people and luxurious settings.)
He teases an erotic menage-a-trois but doesn’t complete the game, set, and match. He’s ineffective with pacing, tone, and emotional connection, and the back-and-forth volleying with the timeline becomes distracting.
This melodramatic film is 2 hours, 11 minutes, with a nearly unbearable 45- minute third act as tensions collide that ultimately crashes into an unsatisfying conclusion.
The superficial screenplay is credited to Justin Kuritzkes, and it’s a glossy mess of a love triangle between a former child prodigy and the two best friends and high-level players she met as teenagers that have been a major part of her life ever since.
Tough and ambitious Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) first dated slippery Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) but married earnest Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). Art is a champion on a losing streak, and Tashi not only is the mother of his daughter Lily, but his demanding coach. Patrick is down on his luck despite growing up as a rich kid.
Gifted athletes and savvy marketers, Art and Tashi’s lifestyle is a brand, but they rarely look happy. Misery seems to be hanging like a rain cloud, although their creature comforts indicate they once enjoyed pleasure in all aspects of life.
When her strategy for his redemption involves playing a Challengers tournament, which is like the minor leagues, surprise – the former BFFs must face each other!
The timeline toggles between a 2019 setting, then back as college students, and their hook-ups during the past 13 years. The guys, once doubles partners nicknamed “Fire and Ice,” have known each other since they were 12 and living in a tennis boarding school.
Betrayals at different stages make the characters hard to like, and Zendaya is completely unlikable. She’s mesmerizing but the aloof character is soulless. Guadagnino likes to linger the camera on her, which becomes excessive, and she’s too vague emotionally to sustain interest.
Now the guys, believably boyish and intense, have serious acting cred. They deliver fascinating performances, but we needed more. Despite the trio’s magnetic screen presence, their characters are never fully realized.
BAFTA-nominated Faist, who broke through as Riff in the 2021 remake of “West Side Story” after establishing a career in musical theatre on Broadway (originated Connor in “Dear Evan Hansen” and was a dancer in “Newsies”) has the physicality and energy for the athletic role.
O’Connor won an Emmy in 2021 for playing Prince Charles in “The Crown,” so his playing against type is interesting, and he’s surprisingly robust and gymnastic.
Kuritzkes wants to say a lot, especially on their codependency, but there is no resolution. Again, we never fully understand the three. What is the cost of winning? Why should we care?
There is also a homo-erotic undercurrent that is only teased, if you are looking for that (the film’s trailer is misleading).
Now the camera work by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom is sensational – and the tennis action is Grand Slam-level. Mukdeeprom has worked with Guadagnino before, and excelled in Ron Howard’s “Thirteen Lives.”
The music score is by Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“Social Network” and “Soul”), and it’s mainly modern electric-synthesizer heavy compositions not unlike the hypnotic score for “American Gigolo.” While propulsive, it is at times overpowering.
The guys preface a request or rationale to goddess Tashi by saying “You’re going to get mad at me…”
As if that’s their excuse for tiptoeing around her all the time. Please…get out of your own way and move on!
