CHALLENGERS: Surprisingly Unchallenging

CHALLENGERS (Blu-ray)

2024 / 131 min

FROM WARNER BROS

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Pepper the Poopy😽

I can’t honestly say I was disappointed. With the possible exception of the decision to present the story through a non-linear narrative, Challengers is more or less the movie I thought it was gonna be. Being equally honest, romantic dramas aren’t really my thing, so perhaps my expectations weren’t all that lofty to begin with. 

However, this one is directed by Luca Guadagnino, which piqued my interest a little. He’s the guy who had the audacity to remake Suspiria, which continues to spark plenty of love it or loathe it debates (Personally, I thought it was a bold reimagining of a classic). I also also appreciated the warped sweetness he brought to his cannibals-in-love drama, Bones and All, which was nothing if not unusual.

So I guess I am somewhat taken-back that Guadagnino seems more in love with aesthetics than the actual story, which is surprisingly straightforward and ultimately pretty predictable. Challengers is about a 13-year love triangle between tennis pros. Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) is a young hopeful touted as the next big thing, later sidelined by a career ending injury. She comes between two lifelong buddies, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), both of whom develop individual love-hate relationships with her over the years…at the expense of their own friendship.

"So I guess the Mario Party tournament is off?"

Tashi becomes Art’s coach & wife, the two being a famous power couple, though Art’s age and injuries have taken their toll. She enters him into a lower level tournament to get his confidence back before competing in the next U.S. Open. Concurrently, Patrick’s pro career hasn’t panned out. He lives in his car and survives by entering similarly minor tournaments. But despite becoming estranged, he and Tashi are still attracted to each other, whereas her marriage to Art appears to be more practical than loving (at least on her part).

Naturally, Art and Patrick square-off in a final match, around which the entire narrative is based. Their story is presented out of sequence, jumping back and forth throughout the years, which actually keeps things interesting for a while, as does some creative camerawork depicting tennis matches. The film is sometimes sexy (with a few dashes of homoeroticism), made palatable by the three attractive leads.

However, none of these characters are particularly sympathetic…or even all that likable. Nor do they really change throughout the entire narrative. While that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, the movie is far too long for its own good, especially since the story features no real surprises or character revelations. The climax feels especially exhausting, when Guadagnino drags-out the final match with an unholy amount of slow motion. By then, I was kind of tired of hanging around these people. 

Still, Challengers is certainly watchable, especially for Zendaya fans, since she definitely confirms why she’s a star. The non-linear narrative is well assembled and the performances are excellent. But coming from a director like Guadagnino, the film is almost shockingly conventional. I guess I expected something a little more provocative and less Bull Durham-ish.