Generally speaking, I tend to have a lot of respect for films that take big swings-certainly what Challengers is doing in trying to be a "metaphor movie" while also a straight-ahead sports drama. In this specific case, however, I found Luca Guadagnino's effort to be caught in the schism of trying to satiate both those masters and ultimately falling a bit short (if still entertaining) in the process.
For a very basic overview, Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), a rising-star tennis prodigy whose career is derailed by injury. Tashi is also involved-romantically and professionally-with fellow tennis stars Art (Mike Faist) & Patrick (Josh O'Connor) and a triangle of love, power, and goals unspools.
For most of Challengers, I viewed it as a pretty straight-ahead "love triangle sports movie" and was enjoying it. Sure, it is the type of film that puts rave music over everything (even dialogue sequences, oddly), but that's simply the Guadagnino style. The use of flashbacks to set up the final scene that inches forward over the film's runtime is effective, and the overall setup of Tashi having to choose between stable and winning (but unmotivated) Art and the more loose-canon (but highly competitive) Patrick is compelling. I was legitimately invested in how the film's climax was going to play out.
But then, Challengers ends on a bit of a head-scratcher. Without going into spoilers, the ending offers less resolution and more recontextualization of what it was supposed to be all about in the first place. In short: more "tennis as metaphor for sex/relationships" and less a sports drama. Though an interesting twist, to be sure, I'm not sure if a back-track through the film's themes would hold up to such analysis.
Through it all, Challengers-at very least-is a star vehicle for Zendaya. Here, she proves she can equally knock out of the park "alluring young woman", "hyper-focused athlete", and "young mother" all in one fell swoop. Even when Tashi's character motivations weren't always crystal clear to me, Zendaya sells the character extremely well.
Overall, I had Challengers pegged at a solid 8/10 stars until the ending left me to wander (and wonder) a bit and I lopped one off as a result. While thought-provoking endings usually engage me rather than frustrate me, here I simply wanted resolution to a "solid sports flick" and was a bit thrown that this seemed not to be Guadagnino or writer Justin Kuritzkes' goal all along.
For a very basic overview, Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), a rising-star tennis prodigy whose career is derailed by injury. Tashi is also involved-romantically and professionally-with fellow tennis stars Art (Mike Faist) & Patrick (Josh O'Connor) and a triangle of love, power, and goals unspools.
For most of Challengers, I viewed it as a pretty straight-ahead "love triangle sports movie" and was enjoying it. Sure, it is the type of film that puts rave music over everything (even dialogue sequences, oddly), but that's simply the Guadagnino style. The use of flashbacks to set up the final scene that inches forward over the film's runtime is effective, and the overall setup of Tashi having to choose between stable and winning (but unmotivated) Art and the more loose-canon (but highly competitive) Patrick is compelling. I was legitimately invested in how the film's climax was going to play out.
But then, Challengers ends on a bit of a head-scratcher. Without going into spoilers, the ending offers less resolution and more recontextualization of what it was supposed to be all about in the first place. In short: more "tennis as metaphor for sex/relationships" and less a sports drama. Though an interesting twist, to be sure, I'm not sure if a back-track through the film's themes would hold up to such analysis.
Through it all, Challengers-at very least-is a star vehicle for Zendaya. Here, she proves she can equally knock out of the park "alluring young woman", "hyper-focused athlete", and "young mother" all in one fell swoop. Even when Tashi's character motivations weren't always crystal clear to me, Zendaya sells the character extremely well.
Overall, I had Challengers pegged at a solid 8/10 stars until the ending left me to wander (and wonder) a bit and I lopped one off as a result. While thought-provoking endings usually engage me rather than frustrate me, here I simply wanted resolution to a "solid sports flick" and was a bit thrown that this seemed not to be Guadagnino or writer Justin Kuritzkes' goal all along.