‘Challengers’ Review: Foreplay and Forehands Volley in Luca Guadagnino’s Sweat-Drenched Tennis Love Triangle

The arena of competitive sports is a prime location for engrossing storytelling. Inherently built within that structure is a fierce battleground. The clashing of personalities has an immediate effect on the audience, entranced by similar yet opposing forces struggling against the tenacity of each other in the pursuit of a specific goal. This conflict can easily represent a larger metaphor, mirroring the emotional turmoil these individuals find themselves contemplating. Sometimes it can be obvious to spot the intent, but the layering can still be a worthy exploration. The encounters depicted in Luca Guadagnino’s new film Challengers are thrilling to dissect and offer an invigorating look into the dramatic spectacle that plays out both on and off the court.

At the start, a major tennis match is about to take place. Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) is a well-known champion who has lately been prone to an unfortunate losing streak. He ends up entering a new match in a low-level competition that will give him standing to qualify for the championship, and put him back on top. His wife and trainer Tashi (Zendaya), herself a former prodigy of the sport until an injury took her out of commission, is also strained under this pressure. The tensions only rise when they discover that Art will be playing against Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). He and Art started off as friends and colleagues, meeting in boarding school and indulging in their love of the game by becoming double partners. It’s a partnership built on shared passions, a love of the game in such close proximity that their mutual masturbation sessions inform both their competitive ambitions and insatiable appetites. Their nonchalant attitudes are disrupted when they cross paths with Tashi in their youth. Her introduction into their world ignites a profound longing, a conquest of physical and psychological domination. So began a thirteen-year saga of the three constantly intercepting one another, with the relationships growing more intense, resentful and complicated as time marched onward. Now, the two men find themselves once again fighting against one another for the ultimate vindication.

There’s a real power in the way Luca Guadagnino captures every frame with a luscious sensuality that taps into a raw sex appeal. He understands how, like many things in life, there’s a carnal desire behind every calculated decision. The kinetic matches have a fierce rhythm that connects each player to the other, exposing their insecurities and elations. Tashi even proclaims that participating in this sport manifests a tether to another that feels like a daring act of intimacy. However, this eroticism manifests in other sectors. When Art receives his physical therapy. When Patrick taunts his rivals while eating a banana. When Tashi carefully observes every detail of her lovers’ actions on the court. The atmosphere is so heavily concentrated in sexuality while keeping the most graphic depictions at bay. The suggestion is there in every glance at these toned bodies glistening with sweat, grunting with a sense of exaltation as they contort themselves in athletic warfare. The audience is excited and teased for a reveal that lingers on the edge of the screen, keeping us invested in every development that deploys a splash of seduction. Every note of the pulsating score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross injects adrenaline whenever its 1980s-inspired techno rhythm starts up, and a rush of enthusiasm is palpable in the air.

At times, it feels as if Guadagnino is attempting some compensation for Justin Kuritzkes’s screenplay, which occasionally comes across as a bit awkward in its construction. The sprawling narrative is presented in a non-linear fashion, jumping back and forth between the time periods as quickly as the volleying tennis ball. In that respect, what’s presented is a fascinating correlation, but what’s sacrificed is a sense of orientation that can quickly fluster the natural rhythm. All of it seems to be in service of a story with not that much substance, or at least one lacking in thematic weight that makes for any insightful commentary. Still, the quippy barbs are traded with ferocious entertainment, and small moments that seem inconsequential help build up the character. A person who is offered a snack and then modestly refusing before taking a quick bite is a nice detail to demonstrate their initiative being covered with false humility. The plot itself may not be groundbreaking or innovative, but the characterization is what’s so beguiling. 

All three performances at the center of this fiery storm are nothing short of captivating. Zendaya manifests a prickly yet dedicated energy to Tashi, able to explode with vicious diatribes that are used to mask the self-doubt that constantly rages within her. It’s a testament to her undeniable screen presence that lights up every frame she enters. One gets a joyful glee in the way she manipulates these two during their initial courtship, leading to their first sexual encounter that is both playful, titillating and even a little nefarious as she looks on with a wicked grin. The way she coaxes these two young men to expose their lustful desires is another carefully designed move in her arsenal. When she becomes more combative, the strategy shifts, and Zendaya expertly crafts a compelling portrait of a woman trying to find her fulfillment any way she can.

The two men flanking on either side are enthralling as well, though O’Connor has a bit more meat to chew on. The evolution of Patrick that finds him oscillating between victorious bravado and humble defeats is a joy to witness, especially as his performance delights in the devilish swagger that’s impossible to not find charming. O’Connor brazenly skids into the egotistical blowhard that continuously wrestles with the fragile core. His boasting is equally fun and tragic, as any man with Big Dick Energy would have, but he always manages to be enticing on screen as a roaring ocean of unhampered virility. Faist is unfortunately saddled with a blander character, as Art’s motivations struggle to reach beyond the basic instincts. He makes up for this deficiency with the endearing chemistry showcased between his co-stars, but the weakness on the page certainly shows. Still, Faist deserves the recognition for mining the depths of humanity within Art, and his conflicted sensibilities are performed with a soulful affection. He finds the tenderness and heartbreak with the earnest love for his wife while also maintaining the intellectual dueling with his best friend. 

No other moment encapsulates their gripping personas  more than two directly confronting each other in a steam room. The scene perfectly encapsulates the tension each of them have towards one another, and it’s a brilliant showcase of their engaging aura. It’s the point in which the gloves come off. Rocking out with the cocks out, leaving all naked ambition on display for the boisterous gloating to emerge. It’s just another game the two indulge in to demonstrate superiority. Patrick flaunts his physique to rattle his opponent, but Art’s sense of morality is his own counter. The venomous dialogue is thrust and blocked like unsheathed weapons, just as their unchecked sexual proclivities have damaged this brittle relationship. Neither wants to cede the ground, and the dueling personalities as realized by these two performers are mesmerizing.

At first, it can take a minute to get one’s footing within this story. The fractured assembly is difficult to fully connect with as one needs to be eased into this world. However, soon it becomes clear what the goal of this plot is: a messy and chaotic endeavor in which one devours the energetic banter. The foundation upon which this work is constructed isn’t totally without fault, but the structure being built up is full of alluring dynamics. The tone builds up this intense intimacy all the way up until its grandiose finale. The film crescendos into a monumental display of masculine showboating and deadly anxieties, which punctuates all the way through to the uproarious end. The question of who ends up on top may be the most obvious query of any sports film, but here that relates to who can master their own destiny, and it’s a wild ride to endure.

Grade: B+

MGM Studios will release Challengers only in theaters on April 26.