As a fan of tennis (I played in high school,) Luca Guadagnino's previous film "Call Me By Your Name," and Zendaya, I was hoping that this film would be very good. While not quite perfect, "Challengers" is still a great effort that is generally gripping (pun very much intended) by combining an engaging, character-driven storyline with strong craftsmanship present throughout Guadagnino's style of filmmaking and storytelling.
The film follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya,) a professional tennis player and coach who is married to Art (Mike Faist,) a pro tennis player trying to mount a comeback. He has to go up against Patrick (Josh O'Connor,) who had a relationship with Tashi in the past. The screenplay creates engaging dramatic tension to uniquely develop the three lead characters, highlighting their unique strengths and flaws both on and off the tennis court in equal measure. The writing is sharp and clever, and the three lead actors all rise to the challenge and do the writing and character development justice by giving strong performances. Zendaya is the standout of the cast, but both male leads also give very good performances. Despite the general strength of the overall story and writing, the screenplay's non-linear story structure doesn't always uniformly succeed. Sometimes telling the story and establishing character-related context out of order works well in the film, but not always so, and the transitions between time periods or timeframes in the characters' lives can occasionally feel a bit forced or abrupt. The overall story and its major points about its characters, however, still remains relatively straightforward despite the non-linear structure on display here. The technical skill on display in the film is genuinely commendable, with a techno-infused score that helps add dramatic tension and swagger in every scene in which it's present, and excellent cinematography during the tennis match scenes that make the matches seem visceral and uniquely thrilling.
"Challengers" is probably a bit too long, drags a bit in the middle, and ends a bit abruptly. Yet despite those pacing flaws, the strong and appealing performances and engaging character work make this overall a quality film that is well worth seeing. Gladly recommended. 8/10.
The film follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya,) a professional tennis player and coach who is married to Art (Mike Faist,) a pro tennis player trying to mount a comeback. He has to go up against Patrick (Josh O'Connor,) who had a relationship with Tashi in the past. The screenplay creates engaging dramatic tension to uniquely develop the three lead characters, highlighting their unique strengths and flaws both on and off the tennis court in equal measure. The writing is sharp and clever, and the three lead actors all rise to the challenge and do the writing and character development justice by giving strong performances. Zendaya is the standout of the cast, but both male leads also give very good performances. Despite the general strength of the overall story and writing, the screenplay's non-linear story structure doesn't always uniformly succeed. Sometimes telling the story and establishing character-related context out of order works well in the film, but not always so, and the transitions between time periods or timeframes in the characters' lives can occasionally feel a bit forced or abrupt. The overall story and its major points about its characters, however, still remains relatively straightforward despite the non-linear structure on display here. The technical skill on display in the film is genuinely commendable, with a techno-infused score that helps add dramatic tension and swagger in every scene in which it's present, and excellent cinematography during the tennis match scenes that make the matches seem visceral and uniquely thrilling.
"Challengers" is probably a bit too long, drags a bit in the middle, and ends a bit abruptly. Yet despite those pacing flaws, the strong and appealing performances and engaging character work make this overall a quality film that is well worth seeing. Gladly recommended. 8/10.
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