(Left to right) Mike Faist as Art, Zendaya as Tashi and Josh O’Connor as Patrick in CHALLENGERS
Images by Metro Goldwyn Mayer“Challengers” receives 3.5 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly film critic Mara Reinstein.
Random Fun Fact: All three actresses who played Peter Parker’s love interest in the live-action Spider-Man Some contributions from this century later featured in films about tennis. First there was Kirsten Dunst in romantic comedy Wimbledon. Then Emma Stone shown Billie Jean King in the undervalued Battle of the sexes.
Now Zendaya gives her everything challenger. Despite its April release date, it’s the sexiest, naughtiest, sweatiest movie of 2024. And to use a term from the sports lexicon, she’s an absolute champion.
Not a dutiful girlfriend to a hero-worshipping hero, her Tashi Duncan is the seductive center of a love triangle between her ex (The crown‘S Josh O’Connor) and her husband (West Side Story‘S Mike Faist), which spans 13 years. Both are alpha tennis stars, and yet the confident Tashi sets the tone. (Sorry, but these tennis puns are too much fun! I can’t stop!)
The tension is high from the start. During a tennis match, two men hit a volley across the court. Judging by the intensity they can feel, they appear to be fighting for a Grand Slam title. But no. This is a simple tournament in New Rochelle, New York in 2019. Obviously a different kind of victory is at stake. Cut to Tashi sitting in the stands, wearing a chic white summer dress and with a worried expression on her face. Even though her eyes are focused on the game, something – and someone – is on her mind. For good reason.
Through a flashback, we learn that these athletes, the rugged, handsome Patrick Zweig (O’Connor) and the rubbery Art Donaldson (Faist), were once promising doubles partners and best friends. On and off the field, the teenagers are described as “fire and ice” – Patrick is charming and quick-tempered, while Art is introspective and methodical. They try to maximize these qualities in their first meeting with Tashi. As an 18-year-old prodigy with long legs heading to Stanford, she has the confidence to match her powerful backhand. After some banter on the beach, the boys ask her to meet them later at their hotel room.
Mike Faist plays Art and Zendaya Tashi in CHALLENGERS.
Niko Tavernise/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.Could she? Would she?
Consider that challenger is led by Call me by your name‘S Luca Guadagninothe answer is a damn yes.
The scene is as funny and stirring as a contemporary love story gets. In a refreshing twist, both men are placed in a vulnerable position while their object of affection takes full control. (Note: The three begin their evening by flirting shamelessly on the hotel room floor; Tashi gets up first and gives instructions.) Their steamy group dynamic is capped off by a make-out session that viewers won’t soon forget…not that she would have wanted to do it.
Mike Faist was already a well-known stage star before teaming up with Zendaya in the upcoming film Challengers. Faist, 32, got his start in Broadway musicals before moving into film and television. He made a splash with the Prime Video series Panic, written and created by author Lauren Oliver, but it was his own […]
Just like the climate tennis game, that challenger The narrative constantly moves back and forth while the score constantly changes. As a teenager, Tashi dates Patrick because he is the perfect passionate counterpoint. But the more steady, if passive, type is a true friend to her, especially after she suffers a devastating injury. They eventually marry and she coaches him in several Grand Slam championships. Nevertheless, Art lacks the self-confidence necessary to become a great. He knows it. Tashi knows. Patrick, estranged from his friend and never fulfilling his potential, knows it. As the two fight for the championship in the suburbs, they’re both in redemption mode and hoping for another shot at glory. Professional and personal.
The stunning and dizzying in-game sequences are undoubtedly to be complimented. Watch the ball rush across the field! The same goes for the mesmerizing synthesizer score – courtesy of Oscar winners Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross – that goes hand in hand with the budding relationships. Tech credits are important. But this film doesn’t succeed if all the points of the triangle aren’t highlighted.
And rest assured on that front challenger scores with great success.
Zendaya is bringing heat on and off the court in her upcoming sports drama “Challengers.” Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film stars Zendaya as Tashi, a tennis star caught up in a messy love triangle with fellow athletes Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor), following the trio from teenage years into adulthood. […]
The fantastic Faist and O’Connor transform Art and Patrick into flawed but appealing characters. Zendaya thrives in her first adult film role outside of the genre. Your uncompromising power player thinks with his heart and head, almost never at the same time. Not only does she share sizzling chemistry with her boys, the boys also share sizzling chemistry with each other! Even their gaze could burn a hole in the sun during a solar eclipse. And to think about it: the only nudity on screen is shots of randomly selected men’s genitals in a locker room.
challenger The premiere was originally scheduled for last fall; It was pushed forward due to the two Hollywood labor strikes. The unfortunate circumstances have led to the best-case scenario, as the film can now escape the onslaught of all these Oscar contenders and triumph on its own merits. Love may mean nothing in tennis, but that is the exception.
challenger hits theaters on Friday, April 26th.