Challengers
It is tough to know where to heap the most praise on Challengers.
Is it Luca Guadagnino's new best film and his first great one since A Bigger Splash? The top tennis movie since Match Point or Strangers on a Train — but, considering the subject concentration, maybe ever? The horniest cinematic experience since Blue is the Warmest Color (and carrying far less guilt)? The first time Zendaya has warranted anything close to “oh, I get it” status from the film community?
Why not all four? And probably more?
The erotic thriller set in the world of racquets and nets plays out in darkly funny fashion without ever being flat out grim thanks to a miraculously concerted effort from Guadagnino, writer Justin Kuritzkes, three phenomenal leads, and a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross so good that sounds like they put a call out to today’s top EDM artists.
Starting at the seemingly star-crossed matchup of wealthy champion Art Donaldson (Mike Faist, West Side Story) and near-broke underdog Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor, Emma.) in the championship match at a challenger tournament in New Rochelle, NY, Challengers derives numerous tantalizing interpretations of its title through brilliant, timeline-hopping storytelling that fills in narrative blanks while sustaining the tension (and immense stakes) at hand and enhancing the film’s already rich interpersonal dramas.
Inciting and driving the tension is Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), the sexy U.S. Open junior champ that the prestigious tournament’s winning juniors doubles team of Donaldson and Zweig become infatuated with as fellow 18-year-olds. And together, they make Challengers as close to a three-hander as possible, seeing as hardly anyone else gets any meaningful dialogue — an isolation that only enhances their fascinating, sexually-charged, and probably bisexual dynamic.
As arousing as Guadagnino has tried to make his previous films, particularly Call Me By Your Name, they have nothing on Challengers, which also stretches the definition of “soapy” in a modern cinematic vernacular. From the excessive shots of the guys admiring Tashi at her U.S. Open party to the extended, lingering closeups in the overlong yet still effective climax, plus all the innuendo-laden cuisine sprinkled throughout, there’s no shortage of titillation on display, bordering on overkill even as scenes make one hold their breath to see how things play out.
Atop the steaminess as the three characters figure out their place(s) with each other, the film is elevated by multiple excellent tennis sequences. Through the magic of special effects, this underrepresented sub-genre is elevated by digital trickery of the ball flying right by the camera lens, requiring viewers to mentally convince themselves that they're not about to get hit. The resulting suspense is more effective than any recent 3D gimmick and should be studied for decades to come.
Confidently navigating the sultry dark comic romance, Feist and O’Connor make good on their big-screen promise while Zendaya finally delivers the leading film performance that moviegoers have been waiting for. Reminiscent of Kristen Stewart shedding her YA wings, Zendaya’s work here is a true breakthrough yet finds immense support from her capable crew.
Potent as Challengers is, its soapiness probably could be tighter and even stronger at under two hours, particularly its drawn-out but still effective finale. And make whatever you want of the “love triangle” overlaps between this and the even more magnificent Past Lives — written and directed by Kuritzkes’ wife, Celine Song. Even if they’re working through anything resembling marital discord through their art, it’s resulted in two of the best films of the past two years.
Grade: A-minus. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, the Fine Arts Theatre, Grail Moviehouse, and Regal Biltmore Grande.
(Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures)
