REVIEW: Steaminess of ‘Challengers’ is a smokescreen for its shallowness

Luca Guadagnino’s last film about cannibalistic monsters featured a more wholesome relationship than this sports drama. Imagine that.

The director’s latest film, “Challengers,” features a trio of central characters, all of whom are tennis players. There’s the pro Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), his wife and coach Tashi (Zendaya), as well as Patrick (Josh O’Connor), who’s trying to revive his career in the sport.

The film is set in the present day, with Art struggling in recent tournaments and Tashi wanting him to compete in a smaller event where he can gain some confidence. There he’s put in competition against Patrick, a former friend and rival. The film then goes through a series of flashbacks showing how the three got to where they are in life and their intertwined relationships.

Non-linear story-telling can be a great way to blend past and present, slowly revealing the details that led to the time period a film is taking place in like an unraveling mystery. It’s worked in movies dealing with romantic drama before with the likes of “500 Days of Summer” and it’s a method that’s effective here.

Seeing the characters in their present states, and then getting to watch what led to their current positions, both good and bad, holds one’s interest. Watching this trio have tense moments and then getting a glimpse into what constructed that tension is enough to keep one invested in how things will unfold.

What actually does unfold is, well, fine. This is a movie with plenty of sexual tension, steamy scenes and a great deal of drama as the competitive nature of love and tennis intertwine. But Guadagnino’s film never really elevates the romantic drama genre, as this feels like a standard love is a battlefield situation.

Earlier this year, “Miller’s Girl” came out and it was a trashy romantic drama that felt like a two-hour soap opera. It’s fairly easy to look at “Challengers” in the same light. The quality is much better considering who’s in the director’s chair, but still, what’s at play in this movie just doesn’t feel all that deep so it’s hard for it to be truly compelling.

There’s the drive for success in tennis and of course that’s tied to the future of the relationships featured, but in terms of actual connections and what it says about the human condition, the film is fairly shallow. The characters are too stuck in their ways and their emotions feel so one note, as a result, it feels like the relationships don’t have enough range and seem one dimensional.

It doesn’t help that the characters aren’t particularly likable. It’s not like that’s an immediate deal breaker, characters that are hard to like and are completely driven by their passion or work can be effective, like in “The Social Network” and “Whiplash.” But the characters here just don’t have enough on the inside to connect with, so it’s harder to care.

The acting, meanwhile, is just OK. None of the three give performances that blow a person away or keeps a person hooked on their every word. Zendaya isn’t able to make Tashi anything more than a tough as nails, tennis-obsessed woman who uses relationships to get somewhere. O’Connor and Faist  are both fine, but mostly underwhelming as the other two.

“Challengers” is a film made by a director who has created beautiful movies before with the likes of “Call Me By Your Name” and “Bones and All.” He brings a great deal of artistry with this film, too, as the movie has a clear visual identity and is overall well made. However, despite its technical quality and the sexual tension included, it’s simply hard to care about the drama and the characters tied to it. 2.75 out of 5.

Author: Matthew Liedke

Journalist and film critic in Minnesota. Graduate of Rainy River College and Minnesota State University in Moorhead. Outside of movies I also enjoy sports, craft beers and the occasional video game. View all posts by Matthew Liedke