5/12 ForReel Score | 2/5 Stars

For many, there’s a fun time to be had with Luca Guadagnino’s latest feature film, Challengers. Sports drama gives way to drama drama as Challengers derives much of its entertainment value from the admittedly comedic scenario the film’s three main characters find themsmselves in. Tennis might be the sport of choice for this film, but simmering sexual tension is the name of the game, and this leading cast came to play. If only there was a more suitable arena to play in.

Beyond the allure of the film’s vibrant mood, the guys’ athletic physique in thin tees and short shorts, and Zendaya's spellbinding manipulation is a problematic narrative in desperate need of refinement. The acting talent headlining the film certainly doesn’t go to waste, but for anyone attempting to derive meaning or purpose from this film, Guadagnino makes that effort the real challenge.

The guys of the story are Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig played respectively by Mike Faist and rising star Josh O’Connor. When we first meet them, Art is in a successful position; he’s made a lucrative career out of playing professional tennis, though at this point in his story, he’s endured a rough patch of losses that might indicate an impending end to his run with the sport. Patrick, on the exact opposite end of the spectrum, is a down-on-his-luck athlete, scraping by on the generosity of others (including unsuspecting casual lovers from dating apps) for food and a place to sleep each night. Upon going head to head in a championship qualifying tournament, we learn that the two were childhood friends - a practically inseparable brother-like pair - who had a wedge come between them in college.

That wedge is, of course, a love interest in the form of talented tennis player Tashi, portrayed superbly by Zendaya. Admirably formidable, yet deviously narcissistic, Zendaya brings a no nonsense attitude and entertainingly stark demeanor to her role as Tashi that captivates Art, Patrick, and undoubtedly audiences of the film. While the boys-will-be-boys rivalry stirs up conflict in Challengers both on and off the court, it’s Zendaya who takes charge of driving the group’s real drama, wholly adept at stealing scenes and leaving a lasting impression.

Challengers spends its overlong 2 hour and 11 minute runtime volleying back and forth between multiple eras of this trio’s history - a narrative choice that aims to be clever with how it unravels this story but actually comes off as unnecessarily disorienting. The film abandons any semblance of an organized storytelling format and instead sporadically picks and chooses when and where to drop viewers in the timeline. I recognize it’s all in service of efforts to maximize reveals, bouncing around key details until they can be used to surprise audiences, but it often feels too needlessly chaotic to fully appreciate the revelations that arise.

Other poorly thought out decisions include the overuse of extensive slow motion sequences - a camera trick that makes for an acceptably stylized opening shot for the film, but becomes obnoxious to sit through and loses too much of its stylistic luster to overcome the predictability of a climactic decision.

But most glaringly, the film lacks a real takeaway. Challengers presents a tantalizing love triangle just for the sake of crafting a tantalizing love triangle, flaunting the sex appeal of its leads without having the finesse to say something of meaning about said sex appeal, the complexities of the featured relationships, or the spirit of competition. Art, Patrick, and Tashi are meant to be enjoyed, not liked, even amongst each other, which carries a fascinating sense of nuance to their relationships (relationships, by the way, that waiver between platonic to romantic to sensually bromantic in certain moments with the fellas), but why serve such nuance without proper follow through?

Challengers can elicit laughs from its audience to pacify the blue balls-inducing will-they-won’t-they relationship dynamics. If that’s what you want from this film, then perhaps it will fall in line with what you might enjoy. When I reflect on it, however, I find myself longing for more narrative substance to complement the sexiness of it - something really to root for. Challengers is a sports drama after all, and while I can’t say I know a whole lot about sports, I’ve found one thing to be true: when a matchup doesn’t offer something or someone I want to root for, I have little reason to be invested in it.

Movie Review: "Challengers"; A Superficial Sports Comedy Featuring A Stellar Leading Cast