Challengers Places Faist, O'Connor and Zendaya on a Different Player

Growing up watching tennis pros like Billie Jean King and Chris Evert dominate the courts to witnessing this generation of champs like Naomi Osaka, Venus and Serena Williams become household names has been one of my greatest joys. Watching women excel in a sport where men have dominated for decades has been more then awe-inspiring – it has been triumphant one levels I can’t even begin to describe, which is why Challengers is right on time.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and produced alongside Zendaya, Challengers focuses Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he faces off against former best friend and washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor) (also Tashi’s former boyfriend). However, as their pasts and present collide, tensions run high, leaving Tashi with the question of what will it cost to win for all three competitors professionally, emotionally and on the most personal level they will ever experience in their lifetimes.

What I love most about this film is that Tashi is the puppet master of these two men. She controls their emotions, how they play, when they play, if they play or if and how they win or lose. It’s a fascinating premise to peel layers one win or loss at a time, which is accented by the terrific score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

All three actors are on their A-game with these performances – each with a departure from roles we have seen them portray in the past. Faist, is more timid, insecure and awkward in the game and in life as Art Donaldson. It’s a carefully nuanced performance that will make you fall in love with him, yet beg him to stand up for himself against all odds.

O’Connor is so very good at playing the bad boy with the sweet, angelic vibes that he brings you in hook, line and sinker with every unspoken word, glance and scene. Yet it is Zendaya, who really grabs the attention. Her dagger stares from the stands during matches are as intense as any dialogue she utters. She is in command of every moment, movement and scene from beginning to end – to the point one might not recognize when Zendaya ends and Tashi begins (and vice versa). A tennis champ with beauty, brains and a game plan that even the audience doesn’t see coming provides quite grounded and stellar work from these three young artists who are just at the tip of their stardom.

There is a magnetic, majestic power to their personal intensity making focus on their passion, art and goals feel like an aphrodisiac. Watching the volley between extremes is absolutely mesmerizing, while simultaneously watching one person (Tashi) exercise her power is seductive providing one scene that is highly sensual without one stitch of clothing being removed. Hot and steamy is a mild understatement, but like a car crash, your eyes will stayed glued from beginning to end.

Guadagnino magnificently directs a film that could have easily been teen fluff and instead will have audiences walking away wondering if they have done all they need to in order to win in their own professional and personal lives. Challengers will challenge your dedication to verocity, challenge your need for personal and professional desires, yet leave you wanting more on every visceral level.