Tennis is at the centre of this tense and romantic story, starring Hollywood sweetheart Zendaya. The “thrilling” film offers something for tennis lovers and those who are less familiar with the sport.
Challengers made waves last year with its 2024 release, with its saucy storyline following a turbulent love triangle between an injured tennis star-turned coach, her world champion husband and her tennis-playing ex-boyfriend. Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan, a rising star who best friends Patrick and Art, played by Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, become infatuated with.
The story begins in 2006 and spans across a 13-year-long stormy relationship between all of the characters as they navigate their individual sporting careers and, of course, romantic lives.
Fast forward to 2019 Tashi and her husband Art are a wealthy power couple, who share a daughter, and he is just one title away from a monumental Career Grand Slam. Notably, he’s older now, and may not have what it takes, and so Tashi enters him as wild card in a Challenger event in an attempt to give him a confidence boost, but little do they know who he’ll be playing against
Ending in an intense and highly anticipated match between the two men on the ATP Challenger Tour, the film always comes back down to tennis and the grip it has on their lives, whether it be for power, glory, or love. A Rotten Tomatoes review claims: “Challengers is an original movie that I really enjoyed watching.
“As a tennis player, I think that the tennis scenes are pretty well made. During tennis scenes, the camera movement is really intense; it catches your eye and makes it impossible to watch anything else.
“And the cinematography in general is really amazing, like the night car scene with the red light on Zendaya’s face, which is really cool. The plot is incredibly full of drama, which makes it really poignant. We must talk about the movie’s soundtrack; it makes every scene so much more intense.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, best known for his work on Call Me By Your Name, Challengers received high praise from those within the industry, as well as film fans themselves. This included four nominations at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, where it went on to win Best Original Score.
The score is something that undeniably stands out throughout the film and adds a playful and unique element that viewers seem to love. One person shared: “I can’t believe they didn’t get all the awards for original music and best editing categories with this one. Guagagdino is my favourite among currently creative auteurs.
“Each time he surprises me and keeps me in his hold till the end. 3 remarkable lead performances, sensational music acting as the fourth lead and brisk editing keep pace with the high rhythm of the game. Smashing success about obsession, power and sincerity.”
While another person wrote: “Playfully suspenseful. Musically addicting. Dramatically captivating. Yet so simple and honest. If only the ending wasn’t flat.”
As it turns out, you don’t even need to be into tennis to enjoy the sports drama. One viewer claims: “This is a movie I thought I’d never watch because I know practically nothing about tennis, but this is one of the most thrilling movies of 2024.”
For a touch of tennis in your life during the world-renowned annual Wimbledon tournament, or to see some steamy romance on your screen, Challengers is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.