Challengers

The film starts off well-told, telling the side and the reason why each of the protagonists meet again. The direction and photography are very fluid. The film is well-explained but keeps you very caught up in the betrayals and hurts of the participants as the game unfolds. The character that Zendaya plays is completely well-developed at the beginning, but in the end she stops being a woman who depends on herself and becomes an object for the two protagonists to use, passing back and forth between them like a tennis ball. This is probably what the film wants to portray, but they could have done it better without placing her as an object that the two pass between each other.

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.

This was the worst ending, worst movie produced. Do not recommend!!

Terrible for anyone who is actually a tennis player. Absolutely garbage. Rotten tomatoes rating is paid for

Hot caca, how did this earn an award... a golden globe even... I can't fathom that.

Longs uncomfortable and unnecessarys scenes and one of the worst finals I've seen

Three actors. Three characters. Three reasons that make me want to live.

Challengers felt like it was trying too hard to be artsy and neglected the importance of a tangible plot. Excessively long shots that grew tiresome throughout the 2+ hour trudge. It’s a classic case of making a movie out to be some layered masterpiece that only a smart audience would understand. It’s one of those rare movies that reviews well that falls flat on its face… per my eyes and ears.

Zendaya’s beauty is perfectly captured, but the film is essentially a bromance disguised as a sports drama and a love triangle. Her intimate scenes feel unnecessary.

Great performances. The film not so great.