CHALLENGERS (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Mike Faist, Josh O'Connor, Zendaya
Genre: Drama, Romance
Writer: Justin Kuritzkes
Runtime: 131 min
Rated: Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

This blog is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on my blog, I may earn an affiliate commission.

Synopsis:

Two professional tennis players, who were once best friends until a woman came between them, meet on the court years later with one now a grand slam winner nearing retirement and the other a washed up has-been just looking to make ends meet.

Review:

Set in the competitive world of professional tennis, Luca Guadagnino's "Challengers" follows an intricate love-triangle over a period of thirteen years, but cleverly avoids turning it into a conventional, sappy melodrama. The plot unfolds out of order, jumping back and forth in time, while revolving around an epic match between the two male leads. It's a very smart plot device, gradually setting up the stakes of the match as we learn more about the background and history of the characters involved. Guadagnino keeps a firm on the pace and builds up the tension all the way through to an explosive finale.

I would like to avoid spoiling too much about the ménage à trois, because much of the enjoyment of this movie will depend on slowly discovering these characters and their complicated relationships. What I can say is that Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist knock it out of the park. "Challengers" is an actor's movie through and through, and the love triangle is only as believable as the actors involved, but the young trio of actors never miss a beat as their smoldering intensity burns through the screen in every scene they share. They also worked hard to get in shape as believable tennis players, and it really shows.

As usual, Guadagnino infuses the movie with a great deal of sensuality. Tennis is used as a metaphor, and the key to deciphering it is in one of Zendaya's lines which compares the sport to a relationship. It's no surprise then that the tennis matches are loaded with sexual tension. There isn't much of a plot, however the movie's focus is entirely on the characters and the dynamic competition between them, often blurring the line between their professional and personal lives. There are layers upon layers for the viewer to unpack, and you might even need more than one viewing to take it all in.

It's a great looking movie with fantastic camerawork courtesy of cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom ("Call Me by Your Name", "Suspiria"). I never thought tennis could look so exciting, but Guadagnino and Mukdeeprom shoot it like an action movie. Mukdeeprom should definitely receive some awards recognition next year. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross contribute a thumping electronic score that shows up both during on-court and verbal duels. It's a nice adrenaline jolt for the tennis scenes, and while it may annoy viewers during dialogue scenes, its presence there actually makes sense. It plays into the tennis/relationship connection as the back-and-forth between characters arguing is pretty much like the game itself, so from that angle it makes sense for the same kind of music to be playing for both on and off court confrontations.

"Challengers" follows no routine and borrows no cliches. It's a deeply original, passionate and highly erotic romantic sports drama, and I would say one of the best movies of 2024.

SCORE: 9/10