Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Challengers
This is a tale of two boys, Art & Patrick (Mike Faist & Josh O’Connor). They were best buddies, tennis players, & sometimes doubles partners. Then they meet rising tennis phenom Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). She is cool, confident, & controlling. The boys become lovesick puppies fawning & drooling over her but she plays it aloof & pits each guy against the other. This becomes a ménage à trios love story. One day, a severe knee injury ends Tashi’s career in the sport & she must redirect her passion for tennis. Coaching keeps her in the game. Like watching a tennis match with the ball rallying over & over the net, this story is told bouncing from present to past & back again & again feeding the audience just a relationship snippet at time. This film gimmick doesn’t help convey story clearly, just feels more disjointed. The three main characters being unlikeable doesn’t help the movie either. Filmmakers unsuccessfully try to make a seductive & sensual film with its steamy sauna scene, full frontal & butt shots, as well as gratuitous face sucking moments. The drama come down to match point moments in the final game between the boys. It becomes more of a chess match as Art & Patrick strategize & read the signals. This a competition of tennis & love. Who will win? Who will lose? Will there be any winners?
Alien gives it 2 “telltale service” stars out of 4.
