Luca Guadanigno has cemented himself as a top working director today with Challengers, the sexy tennis drama starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. At the center is a complicated love triangle and, of course, tennis. As for sports movies, this is one of the most electric ones to come out in a long while. It just also happens to be a thrilling look at love and relationships.
The plot follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Patrick Zweig (O’Connor), and Art Donaldson (Faist). It picks up in the present day with Donaldson and Duncan married while Zweig is down on his luck. Both need to enter the Challengers event in New Rochelle for different reasons. Once things get going, the audience is whisked back and forth in time much like a, well, tennis ball in action.
Challengers’ Plot Encapsulates Audiences
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That plot is what is largely driving this movie. Challengers is a story first and foremost. It may seem like it’s a bit of a high-art concept film because of who it’s directed by and the status it carries, but it’s really just a story about three tennis players irrevocably intertwined with one another. It’s masterfully done, but that’s all it is. There’s plenty of metaphor, but the story is pretty straightforward for mainstream audiences.
Once viewers settle in and are told who each person is, which happens early on in the movie, they are immediately whisked back in time. From there, the pace quickens and, like a back-and-forth volley in a match, does not slow down until it’s over. Moviegoers follow the three romantic leads (yes, they’re all three the main character) and learn just how things transpired.
The structure of this tale is as enticing as the story itself. It is broken into pieces, each peeling back a layer of the narrative. The first piece is like the first set of a tennis match, and in similar fashion, it shows one of the two main male protagonists doing better than the other. The next piece shows the opposite, and it goes back and forth in such a manner until a tiebreak is needed, mirroring the actual tennis match that’s playing out in present day.
Its brilliant structuring and keeps the audience engaged throughout, but it’s a big risk. Nonlinear storytelling either works extremely well or not at all. The challenge (pun intended) of telling a story that is broken up and pieced together over more than a decade can leave the spectators confused or feeling disjointed, but Challengers’ script and direction ensure that doesn’t even remotely happen.
Challengers Thrills From A Technical Standpoint
The story Guadanigno, Zendaya (who is in her first real starring role), O’Connor, and Faist are telling here is enough to warrant praise. But the film is truly taken to the next level in so many aspects, first and foremost: the score. Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor come together to make one of the most enthralling and unique film scores anyone has ever heard.
It’s techno and feels like it could be the intro to a club song, but it pulses with beats that echo the rapidly beating hearts of the characters and perhaps the audience. The music drives the intensity even higher and gets the adrenaline pumping, both for the characters and for anyone listening to it. When so many film scores utilize strings and other classical instruments, Challengers opts for a much more modern music-based theme. It’s brilliant.
The camerawork put to use in the film is also unmatched in 2024. There are some excellent shots of the players, with the framing doing a fantastic job of adding to the narrative. The camera takes on the POV of the tennis ball at one point, which is as incredible as it sounds. Some nice editing touches also go a long way to enhancing the overall product.
Zendaya is a Star
That isn’t even mentioning the acting, which is probably career best work for everyone here. O’Connor’s wily smirk does a lot for his character. Faist’s shifty eyes and demeanor paint the picture of who he is beautifully. Zendaya is already a star, but she dominates the screen for the first time ever in a true leading role. There are virtually no other useful characters, but this film didn’t need any with how well the trio was working.
It might not be the best movie of 2024 (unfortunately, it’s hard to see anything at all topping Dune: Part Two even halfway through the year) but it is an exceptional movie nonetheless. Fans of tennis will enjoy the reverence it shows their sport. That alone is impressive, but then it provides a thrilling look at relationships and identities that might be overlooked even in this day and age.
It would work well as a relationship movie centering on two male characters who may or may not be struggling a bit with their identities. Challengers would also work well as a sports drama showcasing three people with differing attitudes toward an athletic endeavor. Putting both of those things together provides a moviegoing experience no one will soon forget. Guadanigno has made great movies before, but this is his masterpiece.
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