Challengers Reviews (original) (raw)

Summary Tennis prodigy turned coach Tashi (Zendaya) has taken her husband, Art (Mike Faist), and transformed him into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a “Challenger” event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his form...

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Summary Tennis prodigy turned coach Tashi (Zendaya) has taken her husband, Art (Mike Faist), and transformed him into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a “Challenger” event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his form...

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A tennis match can be a personal battle, a clash not only of athleticism but of mind, and Guadagnino gives every game and set the gravity of gladiatorial contest.

Anchored by three arresting performances and playfully experimental direction, Challengers is fresh, exhilarating, and energetic.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Best Drama of 2024 Best Drama of 2024 Best Drama of 2024 Best Drama of 2024 Best Drama of 2024 Best Drama of 2024 Best Drama of 2024

Brilliant in terms of its overall structure, Kuritzkes’ script also manages crackerjack individual scenes that stack up one upon the other, like little chamber dramas within a larger opus.

Challengers is, in the end, a fantastically well constructed film with a star-making performance at its centre. Not quite a masterpiece, Guadagnino holds back from fully embracing the potential of his film’s eroticism and style, but Challengers is nevertheless a worthy contender.

Combining his eye for expressive filmmaking, a mature performance from the three main stars and a droning pop score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers is a seductive feast for the senses.

In tennis, “love” means nothing. Love also has little to do with “Challengers,” which uses the sport as the backdrop to serve up an elaborate, non-linear psychological triangle that proves twisty and enticing for much of the match, before double faulting by whiffing on the ending.

It’s trashy eurosleaze with none of the sumptuous debauchery.

it was such a beautiful movie. The characters are all riveting and have an interesting storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat till the final minutes of the movie. I’ve seen reviews that have said the movie doesn’t have a proper “plot” but they seem to overlook that the characters themselves are the plot, as the entire point of the movie is to understand the complex relationship between the trio. It is one of the few movies I’ve watched that has a lasting impact as you reflect back on it. To this day, I still think about the characters and all the little comments/actions they do that really explains so much. Every single little detail in this movie is so perfectly placed with a specific purpose. Without spoiling too much, I highly recommend this movie for anyone that is looking for a fun “rom-com” type of movie that isn’t so predictable. Challengers is a rare occasion of a romance movie that genuinely makes you think and reflect.

Visually INCREDIBLE - but the line between tennis and relationships blurs to a solid gray... until I don't really care about them anymore... STRIKING - TENSE - TECHNICAL - SHALLOW Let me start by saying... Challengers is riding with three stars for the filmmaking craft of this film alone. Technically - this is a gripping masterpiece. I've never been more excited about tennis in my life. The back and forth of the timeline mimics the tennis ball flying between Art and Patrick, subtle costuming and on-screen typography inform the audience to follow the storyline. Every shock of electric tension is due to the cinematography... this transcends just another 'tennis movie'. This film is sophisticated... Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross supported these aspects in every way with their score. WOW. *adds to playlist. They can do no wrong. The graphic nudity from the rating, isn't what you think it is... and it doesn't add anything to the film itself. Why write that into the script? It's minimal and unnecessary. If you're looking for a 'threesome' teased in the trailer, you'll be disappointed. This film is all about the tension. I was impressed that Luca didn't push a graphic sex scene in our faces; the story didn't need it, and he stayed true to that. The rest of the script gives the cast excellent dialogue, especially in scenes with high energy and conflict. Pacing was on point. This excellence set up the cast for an instant success. Zendaya is absolutely brooding as Tashi. There's a perspective of Challengers that she was setting up Art and Patrick the whole time, but I didn't see that. She was a player, and they fell right into her trap. Faist and O'Connor were perfectly cast in their roles... their love triangle rivals that of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. From an acting craft perspective, great work. (Award worthy? .... eh, maybe.) However... I didn't really care about the characters. While the filmmaking is sophisticated... it's characters were not. Their choices didn't have any meaning. They were driven by teenage fantasies and the romantic conflict they experienced in college defined the rest of their stories. That is basic and trivial. Within the first 25 minutes, I was hooked on this film, and desperately wanted it to go somewhere, to push these characters to their limits. Instead, they bounced back and forth just as much as the tennis ball between them. Nearly every shot is a work of art, making the camera a part of the story - *I* feel a part of the story. But... this isn't a story I want to be a part of. While I enjoyed the cinema of this film, the storyline wasn't my favorite. After raving about the technical aspects of Challengers... I can't say that I actually like the film, just parts of it. I definitely understand the rave, and some of the nominations this film has garnered... but perhaps its still a bit out of its place, in comparison to the rest of the films that 2024 gave us - The Fall Guy? Twisters? Better films.

Challengers mixes tennis with intricate personal dynamics. Zendaya's tennis coach character tries to boost her husband's career by entering him in a tournament, only to face complications involving her ex-boyfriend. The film shifts between past and present, adding depth to the character interactions. It is not as spicy or a teen rom-com as the trailers make you believe, but it is an enjoyable film tied together by excellent cinematography and soundtrack. Perhaps Tennis can fulfil everyone's desires?

Tam bir vakit kaybı desem yalan olmaz sanırım. Sektör iyice bozulmuş, bozulmaya da devam ediyor....

What if you made a movie about sports and men that was written poeple who did not really understand either. This is it.

Production Company

Release Date Apr 26, 2024

Duration 2 h 11 m

Rating R

Tagline Her game. Her rules.

Golden Globes, USA

• 1 Win & 4 Nominations

International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA)

• 9 Wins & 14 Nominations

VHS Awards

• 1 Win & 10 Nominations