Challengers movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Challengers

This sexy sports drama opens in theaters on April 26, 2024.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 11 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

My dad loved playing tennis and was extremely good at it, although he never competed professionally.

The story is about a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach who is married to a champion on a losing streak. Her strategy for her husband’s comeback takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend and her former boyfriend.

The film was directed by Luca Guadagnino. Writing credits go to Justin Kuritzkes. The film was recently nominated for “Next Big Thing” by The Queerties.

THINGS I LIKED:

The leading cast is full of talent and chemistry: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. Their performances are really great and it’s a pleasure to watch them. Who knew they could all play tennis so convincingly too?
We learn in an early scene how the “s” is added to the word “Challengers for the title.
The movie poster is terrific.
There is a lot of humor, both physical and spoken.
The musical score is energetic and often surprising.
Fantastic camera work that builds tension and heart-pounding interest. The filming of the fast back and forth of the tennis matches in interesting ways had to have been tricky.
There is an interesting and important moment in the film when Zendaya’s character is talking about how tennis is like a relationship where words aren’t spoken but souls meet in an almost magical way. The last few moments of the film illustrate that powerful concept when one of the players reveals with a particular serve that something significant has happened. (No spoilers!) Pay attention to the details. I love details.
The back and forth of a tennis match perfectly describes the female protagonist’s push and pull of her romantic feelings between the two men. Zendaya’s character lives for a challenge and she’s only happy when there is a competition.
That scream at the end! It says so many things. (No spoilers!)

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some viewers might understand that there is jump back in time at about the 20-minute mark. It’s not immediately clear and bounces back and forth throughout the entire film. Pay attention to the hairstyles to help you figure out where you are in the timeline, as there aren’t always obvious title cards on the screen to tell you.
Several scenes could have been easily cut to reduce the overall length of the film.
The ambiguous ending might annoy some viewers. I really liked it!
A few times, it was hard to hear what people were saying because the music was so loud.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Full frontal male nudity.
Profanity, crude language, and many F-bombs. One of the tennis players gets a warning for his “audible obscenity.”
There’s a lot of talk about jerking off. Super awkward, gross scene.
Men kiss passionately.
Although we don’t see “the act”, the film is very sexually charged.

THEMES:

Tennis
Competition
Love triangle
Control
Ambition
Betrayal
Obsession
Infidelity
Friendship

FUNNY LINES:

“How often does this happen: going after the same girl?” – Tashi (Zendaya) “Not as often as you’d think.” – Patrick (Josh O’Connor)
“It’s nice to see you lit up about something, even if it’s my girlfriend.” – Patrick (Josh O’Connor)

INTERESTING LINES:

“You don’t understand what tennis is.” – Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) “What is it?” – Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) “It’s a relationship.” – Tashi Duncan (Zendaya)
“Aren’t you everybody’s type?” – Tashi Duncan (Zendaya)
“Hitting a ball with a racket is a great way to avoid having a job.” – Patrick (Josh O’Connor)
“You want my best piece of advice for you? You want me to coach you? Okay. Quit!” – Tashi (Zendaya)