Challengers

Tennis. Love Triangle. Zendaya. The three things that got me to go see this. Mike Faist (Riff from West Side Story) plays a tennis star who is stuck in a rut. His wife/coach/former prodigy Zendaya (Euphoria, Spider-Man: Homecoming/Far From Home, No Way Home) schedules him to play in a low-level tournament to get his confidence back before the US Open. Would be a done deal until they realize his ex-best friend and now rival, Josh O’Connor (Charles from The Crown), is also signed up to play. You watch their lives both past and present play out and the surprisingly tense drama. How exactly does it work when two friends are in love with the same girl? It’s exactly as awkward as you’d imagine. This movie had a lot of hype, which I think it lives up to. The way it’s filmed you feel like you’re on the court and there are dramatic slow-mo shots that add extra suspense. I felt it started off super promising and funny, but lulled a little until the last 30 minutes. Also if you cringe when it’s silent and you can hear people kiss in shows, buckle up. Very different for Zendaya but good for her not playing a teenager for once! Too much unnecessary nudity for my taste but overall this was a good movie.

Rating: 4/5