Title: Challengers
MPA Rating: R
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins

What It Is: Tashi Donaldson (Zendaya) was the next big tennis star. Keyword. Was. Following a career-ending injury she’s forced into coaching. She, now older coaches her husband Art (Faist). When a familiar face from their mutual past, tennis pro Patrick (O’Connor) it throws a wrench into their lives. We got to know the back story between this entanglement. Tashi, ever the opportunist will do whatever she must to stay ahead.Including possibly betraying the man she married for the man she can’t stand.

What We Think: Luca is a director that brings a certain something to every project he does.What that is here is a sexy cool to a sport that isn’t known for being as such. Zendaya, as she always does brings her A-game and is excellent playing all sides of the other two leads. Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor are really out here doing there part and making the most out of Justin Kuritzkes’ terrific script. When a film has to bones of excellence it isn’t a surprise that the result is simply excellent. I do have to ask what the actual fuck happens in Kuritzkes’ marriage because between this and his wife Celine Song’s amazing debut Past Lives it is clear some stuff has gone down.

Our Grade: A, A technically brilliant piece of cinema and one of 2024’s truly best films. Acting, aces. Direction, solid. Script, top notch. It’s hard to beat something like this. Where every part of it is so well executed. Everyone in it is also very sexy and there’s a seductive undertone to it. Those undertones make the entire film a sort of fly on the wall type of deal. It’s that level of personability that makes the characters in Guadagnino’s films real and the situations relatable. Check this one out. It’s pretty damn great.