Three bright young things deliver three smashing performances in this bombastic, sexually charged tennis drama. In a tale of broken dreams, professional pressures and fickle passions, Zendaya (Dune) stars as Tashi Duncan, a single-minded tennis prodigy wooed by two best friends whose rivalry on and off the court forms the backbone of the film’s considerable melodramatics.
Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor, The Crown) and Art Donaldson, (Mike Faist, the scene-stealing Riff in Spielberg’s West Side Story remake) have been joined at the hip since they met at tennis camp aged 12. The boys have an unbeatable sporting chemistry and an evident bond, as they wrestle and laugh, like two boisterous puppies.
When these three charismatic competitors meet, sparks fly and two of them pair up – but as the years pass, and relationships change, all see their fortunes rise and fall.
Italian film-maker Luca Guadagnino (I am Love, A Bigger Splash), who came to international attention with 2017′s gay romantic drama Call Me By Your Name, has a flair for casting attractive, youthful actors and coaxing highly charged performances. One of Challengers’ strengths is that between Art and Patrick there is no clear or obvious winner for Tashi’s affections.
Both men are handsome in an “interesting” rather than traditional way but both ooze twinkle-in-the-eye sex appeal. All three actors are also very convincing as professional tennis players in the many scenes in which on-court prowess dictates off-court success.
While the characters’ true motivations keep us guessing to the very end, Guadagnino isn’t known for his subtlety. Techno music (care of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) pumps away on the relentless soundtrack and shots are slo-moed right down to ensure we get the full effect of glistening, sweaty male necks, and powerful female backhands. The director stops scenes abruptly, adores an extreme close-up and employs every camera angle in the book – including a laughably enjoyable moment in which the frenetic tennis ball becomes the audience’s point-of-view.
Challengers is over the top but never preposterous, thanks to serious performances from the handsome trio who give total commitment to Justin Kuritzkes’ well-written script. The American playwright is married to Past Lives director Celine Song, and while her film was a quieter take on notions of true love and the “what if?”, Kuritzkes nicely illustrates how complex relationships can be when different people satisfy our different needs.
The result is an exuberant, entertaining exhibition of love, sex and great tennis.
Rating out of 5: ★★★★
Challengers directed by Luca Guadagnino is in cinemas now.
