Luca Guadagnino makes a tennis movie that’s not really about tennis.
Still, Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor play an always spellbinding game.
The appeal ofChallengers, then, is that the dynamics in those relations are never easy to label.
Theyre as fleeting as the balls brief flight across the court.
The first signal towardChallengers cunning comes in its structure.
A mysterious chic woman we later learn is named Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) watches from the stands.
Its objective and impersonal before we inevitably cut to three weeks earlier.
The riddle of the movie is what makes it seductive.
That scene is in the movie and is every bit as playful as Zendayas coy grin.
After all, Tashi doesnt have to try too hard to get these boys in the same bedroom.
All three performers clearly relish the opportunity to disappear into meaty and unapologetically toxic personas.
Still, the most fascinating dynamic belongs to Faist and Zendaya.
Hence why Zendaya is probably the most pleased about the project.
She spends the movie happily shaking off the cobwebs of Spider-Man and other teen-focused projects.
The poisonous thrupling is the centerpiece of the film, but Guadagnino never skimps on the sports genre setting.
This and other experimental flourishes Guadagnino indulges before the end keepsChallengersdizzying and irresistible.
Even the conversations between the triangles corners start mimicking the dizzying editing speed of the tennis matches.
Its a spectacle about show-offs that in turn is eager to show off the talent of all involved.
Challengers opens Friday, April 26 in the U.S. and UK.
Rating:
5 out of 5
