Challengers<\/em> volleys back and forth in time, centering on what should be a low-stakes tennis match in 2019 and the relationship history between its three central characters that began 13 years earlier. Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) needs a confidence boost before the 2019 US Open, the only Grand Slam tournament that the decorated athlete hasn\u2019t won. His wife and coach, Tashi (Zendaya), signs him up for a small-time tournament in New Rochelle, New York, which he\u2019s sure to win. Except that Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), his longtime rival and former doubles partner \u2014 on and off the court \u2014 is also slated to play, raising the stakes for all three, especially since he was the first one to date Tashi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zendaya\u2019s Tashi is marvelously spiteful, strategic, and a real win for the actress. Sidelined from her own superstar tennis career by injury (a scene second only in brutality to Suspiria<\/em>\u2019s bone-breaking sequence in Guadagnino\u2019s work), Tashi fuels all her competitive energy into her husband\u2019s athletic performance. \u201cDecimate that little bitch,\u201d she growls as she watches him play her ex. She takes a hard-hitting approach, refusing to hold back on criticism and willing to do whatever it takes to help him win \u2014 even if Art isn\u2019t so desirous of victory himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Patrick is desperate and has far more to lose. It\u2019s not just that he wants to one-up his more successful one-time friend on the court: he\u2019s currently sleeping in his car and needs the money to survive. Conversely, the $7,200 first-place prize doesn\u2019t mean much to Art and Tashi, who not only have won much bigger purses but also have product sponsorship deals that splash their images across billboards and buildings. O\u2019Connor relishes playing Patrick, a real piece of shit who smiles as he tries to scheme his way to victory in tennis and life, but none of these characters are to be admired for their off-the-court behavior, which is part of what makes Challengers<\/em> such a good time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though these three are just teenagers in the earliest scenes in the timeline at the US Open Junior Championships, Challengers<\/em> is definitely made for grownups. Yet that\u2019s not to say this is a serious, dour affair; Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes have crafted a playful picture, full of thrills, delicious fun, and as much sun as Guadagnino\u2019s A Bigger Splash <\/em>and as much sex as Call Me by Your Name<\/em>. However, viewers don\u2019t have to act like adults while they\u2019re watching; the sexual antics and innuendos onscreen sent our preview audience tittering. No one has enjoyed a churro more in this history of cinema than what you\u2019ll witness in Challengers<\/em>, and it\u2019ll leave you both giggly and hungry.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Challengers<\/em> manages to be sweaty and sexy without having a ton of actual sex (though it does boast more full-frontal male nudity than you\u2019ll see in most American films). Part of the credit goes to the chemistry of the three leads in all their various permutations, as well as all the extreme close-ups chosen by Guadagnino and cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Suspiria<\/em>, Call Me by Your Name<\/em>). The camera captures every pore and drop of perspiration, and we\u2019re so close that we start to breathe heavily in sync with the athletes on screen. You can confidently tell your Apple Watch that you\u2019re starting a workout when the production logos show up; Challengers<\/em>\u2019 intensity will make you earn those active calories. During tennis matches, the camera bounces back and forth across the court along with the ball, until, in its climatic sequence, it takes the ball\u2019s perspective. These sequences should probably come with a disclaimer for nausea and dizziness, but they sure are exhilarating<\/p>\n\n\n\n The high level of vigor also arrives from the techno score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. If you had managed to forget that Reznor was the frontman of Nine Inch Nails who wrote \u201cCloser,\u201d these pulsing, pounding beats will serve as a reminder. A contender for my favorite score in years, the music is marvelously different from anything else you\u2019ve heard on screen recently and is a real force in driving the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Challengers<\/em> is a heady mix of sex, sweat, and power plays, the exact type of movie we\u2019d hope for from Guadagnino. There are plenty of pleasures to be had, not just for these characters, but for the audience too. Challengers<\/em> runs over two hours long \u2014 still shorter than most Grand Slam matches \u2014 but it flies by with the propulsive energy of a killer serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Challengers” is in theaters Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Challengers2-1024x552.jpg\")
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