{"id":294162,"date":"2024-05-03T15:54:22","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T07:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/?p=294162"},"modified":"2024-12-11T09:59:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T01:59:54","slug":"challengers-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/challengers-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Challengers review: All&#8217;s (sort of) fair in the art of seduction and hitting a ball with a racquet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/where-to-play-sports-singapore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sports<\/a> and I don\u2019t mix. The only ones I\u2019ll willingly pay attention to are <a href=\"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/water-sports-in-singapore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">swimming and diving<\/a>, and that\u2019s only because of the scantily clad participants. Don\u2019t even ask me about tennis. My knowledge is limited to Anna Kournikova, the Williams sisters, and Roger Federer. However, thanks to Zendaya and those threesome memes, I parked myself at <a href=\"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/watch-movies-alternative-outdoor-cinemas-singapore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Projector<\/a> for two hours to catch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/salp\/challengers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Challengers<\/a> and find out what\u2019s all the fuss about this <a href=\"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/upcoming-movies-singapore-in-cinemas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movie<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Challengers review: Let\u2019s start with real-life moments that inspired the movie<\/h3>\n<div class=\"video-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"CHALLENGERS | Final Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-2N3hmRmwHQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>The movie follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a former top tennis player who\u2019s roped into coaching her husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), years after an unfortunate accident. Art is currently in his loser era, and to help him overcome his streak, Tashi suggests participating in a challenger match, aka the lowest level in a pro tennis tournament. Things get spicy when the couple learns Art will face off against Patrick Zweig, his former best friend (and Tashi\u2019s ex-boyfriend).<\/p>\n<p>First things first: is the film based on a true story? The answer\u2019s no, though an actual event inspires it. In an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/movies\/challengers-movie-zendaya-true-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Radio Times<\/a>, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes highlights a moment during the 2018 US Open when Serena Williams was penalised towards the end of the match for receiving coaching from the sidelines. She vehemently denied that happened.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI had never heard that you\u2019re not allowed to speak with your coach during the match. And immediately, it struck me as really cinematic,\u201d Justin said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The inspiration doesn\u2019t stop there, it seems. Serena points out the similarity between Art and Roger Federer, which she highlights in her review for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/serena-williams-challengers-review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Vogue<\/a>. \u201cA lot of male tennis players really rely on their wives and girlfriends. Just look at someone like Roger Federer: he used to actually hit with his wife, Mirka, and they were like glue,\u201d she noted. Meanwhile, Justin tells <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/how-challengers-screenwriter-justin-kuritzkes-went-from-cult-youtube-star-to-luca-guadagnino-collaborator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">GQ<\/a> that Roger\u2019s wife, Mirka Federer, helped shape Zendaya\u2019s character. Just like Tashi, Mirka used to be a tennis player before an injury cut her career short. After that, she \u201ckind of\u201d became her husband\u2019s manager.<\/p>\n<h3>It\u2019s not just about tennis<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_294163\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-294163\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-294163 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-josh-o-connor-challengers-900x643.jpg\" alt=\"Challengers movie review\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-josh-o-connor-challengers-900x643.jpg 900w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-josh-o-connor-challengers-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-josh-o-connor-challengers.jpg 1400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 900px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 900\/643;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-294163\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zendaya as Tashi Duncan and Josh O&#8217;Connor as Patrick Zweig. Photography: Challengers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here\u2019s a hot take I want to get out of the way: it\u2019s unfair to label this as a \u201cromantic sports drama\u201d \u2018cos it\u2019s clearly more than that. There were some hilarious scenes, like the menage a trois that takes place 40 minutes into the movie, and whenever the two male leads appear on screen as their younger counterparts. Of course, what\u2019s a sports flick without hot and steamy scenes? I lost count of the sweaty close-ups, grunts throughout the tennis match, swinging penises in the changing room\u2026 you get the drift.<\/p>\n<p>One of Challengers\u2019 strengths lies in the script. It\u2019s gripping, with developed characters, snappy dialogue, and excellently written, well-timed scenes. The film had me in a chokehold from the first tight shots and kept me at the edge of my seat throughout its two-hour runtime. That\u2019s an achievement, especially for someone who gets distracted once his attention wanes. I\u2019d say it\u2019s largely because of the non-linear narrative, which shuttles back and forth throughout the film after a look, an uttered sentence, and even a triggered memory.<\/p>\n<p>Even though I appreciated the writing, the movie was a little draggy towards the end, like a long, drawn-out tennis match. It was also around that same time when a couple of plot points unravelled predictably, like the aftermath of Tashi and Patrick\u2019s altercation in the alley and at the parking lot during the second storm.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, that didn\u2019t take away my enjoyment of the film. Sometimes, you need a little bit of predictability amongst all the chaos. Justin knew when to amp up the drama and insert the quieter moments.<\/p>\n<h3>Winning the points that matter<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_294164\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-294164\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-294164 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-luca-guadagnino-josh-o-connor-challengers-900x643.png\" alt=\"Challengers film\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-luca-guadagnino-josh-o-connor-challengers-900x643.png 900w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-luca-guadagnino-josh-o-connor-challengers-768x549.png 768w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-luca-guadagnino-josh-o-connor-challengers.png 1400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 900px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 900\/643;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-294164\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Director Luca Guadagnino with Josh O&#8217;Connor. Photography: Challengers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A script is only as good as the person who directs it, and here&#8217;s where I have to commend Luca Guadagnino. In any other director&#8217;s hands, the film would\u2019ve probably suffered from poor, overthought execution. I\u2019m glad Luca is at the helm. I consider Challengers the adult, hardened equivalent of the rosy, hormonally-charged Call Me By Your Name movie. This is largely because of its soft focus lenses and tight shots whenever the characters eyeball each other \u2013 whether it\u2019s a blank stare, desperate, longing looks, or furtive glances.<\/p>\n<p>Luca has a knack for lifting the written material off the pages, making everything come to life and enhancing what\u2019s been written. He can probably make even the phonebook appear interesting when adapted to the screen. The Justin Kuritzkes-Luca Guadagnino tag team is a match made in tennis heaven, just like the three actors who serendipitously end up as the film\u2019s leads. There\u2019s nothing else I can say or add without appearing like a rabid fanboy.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to cinematography, the word that comes to mind is breathtaking. What\u2019s a tennis movie without aerial shots of the court? It really sets the stage for the match and the entire film. I also loved the bright green and blue hues that shone through; they livened up the movie as it\u2019s set primarily in the city.<\/p>\n<p>Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film\u2019s score. If you\u2019re not familiar with the duo, they\u2019re the ones behind The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo\u2019s grungy, thumping music. Normally, I\u2019m a fan of their work, but for Challengers, I felt there was a bit of a mismatch. Some scenes benefited from their compositions (tennis matches and techno beats should be the standard from now on), while in others, it felt like the music was too loud or just didn\u2019t gel well with what was playing out on screen.<\/p>\n<h3>A homewrecker and her two little white boys<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_294165\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-294165\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-294165 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-imdb-900x643.jpg\" alt=\"Challengers Zendaya\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-imdb-900x643.jpg 900w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-imdb-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-zendaya-imdb.jpg 1400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 900px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 900\/643;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-294165\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zendaya was commanding in the Challengers movie. Photography: IMDB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Good script? Check. Excellent direction? Check. Amazing performances? I\u2019m cutting them a cheque!<\/p>\n<p>Zendaya is that friend who always says they\u2019re unsure if they did well\u2026 when they actually did. You might have doubts about how she\u2019ll pull this role off, no thanks to the Spider-Man trilogy and Euphoria, but honey, she didn\u2019t win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress (twice!) for nothing. She didn\u2019t come to play in Challengers \u2013 she came to win and show everyone what she\u2019s got.<\/p>\n<p>Most reviewers say Tashi is a mean person, but I didn\u2019t see that. To me, she\u2019s just human. She\u2019s tough and emotionally avoidant, but that comes with her extensive tennis training and subsequent traumatic injury. She\u2019s also slightly empathetic, but those moments are only in service for the greater good: winning.<\/p>\n<p>Tashi is the definition of \u201cdoing whatever it takes to emerge victorious\u201d. Zendaya chewed up each scene like gum, and when she spit them on my face, the only thing I could do was thank her. She\u2019s <em>that<\/em> good. As Naomi Campbell said on her show, The Face: \u201cI can never go wrong with her.\u201d Period!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_294166\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-294166\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-294166 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-josh-o-connor-imdb-900x643.jpg\" alt=\"Challengers film\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-josh-o-connor-imdb-900x643.jpg 900w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-josh-o-connor-imdb-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-josh-o-connor-imdb.jpg 1400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 900px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 900\/643;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-294166\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mike Faist as Art Donaldson and Josh O&#8217;Connor as Patrick Zweig. Photography: IMDB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Between the two male leads, I felt that Josh O\u2019Connor got the more showy, meatier role. He really brought Patrick\u2019s loser-who-thinks-he-knows-and-has-it-all characteristics to the next level. Josh turned in such a spellbinding, magnetic performance; I couldn\u2019t help but root for Patrick not to lose in the challenger match against Art. That said, Mike Faist more than held his own alongside Zendaya and Josh. He conveyed a spectrum of emotions, from an earnest Golden Retriever-type teenager to a down-but-not-out tennis champion. I\u2019m keen to see what roles he\u2019ll take up next.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to their strengths, the three actors also knew how to complement each other. It\u2019s so much fun to watch them on the screen together. I reserve my applause wholeheartedly for whenever Josh and Mike are in the scenes. It\u2019s just electric between the two; you can\u2019t afford to look away even for a second. The churros and sauna sequences kept me seated.<\/p>\n<h3>Challengers went somewhere really beautiful<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_294167\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-294167\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-294167 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-zendaya-challengers-900x643.jpg\" alt=\"Challengers review\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-zendaya-challengers-900x643.jpg 900w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-zendaya-challengers-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/challengers-movie-review-mike-faist-zendaya-challengers.jpg 1400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 900px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 900\/643;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-294167\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Art and Tashi in a romantic scene not involving tennis. Photography: Challengers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A friend of mine said he had a \u201cspiritual experience\u201d during and after watching Challengers. \u201cIt made me feel a type of way \u2013 aroused and motivated to increase the frequency of tennis I play weekly,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n<p>I laughed it off initially, thinking it was hyperbole. But as I sat in my seat and watched the credits roll, I\u00a0 understood exactly what he meant. Challengers is more than just another tennis movie. It\u2019s an insight into the lengths people will put themselves through to attain something. Are you okay with setting your morals aside to win a sports tournament?<\/p>\n<p>One thing I want to address is the queerbaiting accusations lobbied against the film. The term refers to a marketing technique where homoeroticism is intentionally used to draw the queer audience in. Personally, I don\u2019t see it. Is it homoerotic between Mike and Josh\u2019s characters? Sure, but it\u2019s not deliberate. It\u2019s a deep connection \u2013 a <a href=\"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/the-power-of-male-friendships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bromance<\/a> coupled with friendly (and eventually unfriendly) competition and jealousy. There\u2019s nothing misleading about them or their orientations. I find this a weak argument.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re excited to catch Challengers because of Zendaya or you\u2019re put off by the hype, give the movie a chance and watch it with an open mind. Maybe you won\u2019t have a spiritual experience, but you\u2019ll at least feel something. Me? I\u2019m now obsessed with tennis\u2026 and making those grunting sounds. Ugh!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sports and I don\u2019t mix. The only ones I\u2019ll willingly pay attention to are swimming and diving, and that\u2019s only because of the scantily clad participants. Don\u2019t even ask me about tennis. My knowledge is limited to Anna Kournikova, the Williams sisters, and Roger Federer. However, thanks to Zendaya and those threesome memes, I parked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107587,"featured_media":294168,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[25074,145687,19922],"tags":[4623],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.7 (Yoast SEO v23.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Challengers review: A thrilling tennis movie with sizzling performances<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Forget about Dune: if there\u2019s one must-watch movie this year, it\u2019s Challengers. Here\u2019s what we like about this sweaty, romantic sports drama.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/challengers-movie-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Challengers review: An thrilling tennis movie with sizzling performances\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Forget about Dune: if there\u2019s one must-watch movie this year, it\u2019s Challengers. Here\u2019s what we like about this sweaty, romantic sports drama.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/singapore\/challengers-movie-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Honeycombers Singapore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thehoneycombers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-03T07:54:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-11T01:59:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.thehoneycombers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/Challengers-upcoming-movies-2024.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sufyan Saad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Challengers review: All&#039;s (sort of) fair in the art of seduction and hitting a ball with a racquet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Sports and I don\u2019t mix. 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