Challengers

Guadagnino knows how to make people very, very attractive. But that’s not the same as interesting.

Challengers hails the voyeuristic spectator at every turn: It’s a movie as much about watching as about performing, as much about scopophilia as exhibitionism.

There are times you want to fight Challengers—to take its sliced-and-diced timeline and put everything in its proper order—but resistance is futile.

For all of its heat and copious amounts of kissing, there are no sex scenes – except that sweaty, ecstatic tennis match.

Challengers is much more than a sport movie... But it would be wrong to say that this story isn’t about what tennis does to normal people: the ways it binds them inextricably to one another.

This is filmmaking turned up to 11 in a genre that doesn't usually get that drama.

Challengers is a unique vision from a talented filmmaker. It’s far from his most daring work, but its over-the-top self-indulgence makes for a surprisingly entertaining watch.

Maybe it’s because a tennis ball doesn’t offer the same level of softness or moisture as a peach, but the attempts to make Challengers as sexy and sensual as Call Me By Your Name don’t quite come off. What does come off is pretty much everything else.

It’s as if the movie is playing its own tennis match. It’s cruising along, and looks to be on its way to victory. But then along come some unforced errors ... and the tide turns. Game, set, match. Better luck next time. Still ... Zendaya is pretty great.


'Challengers' moves with an impressive amount of skill. Its pacing, and especially its innovative cutting, jumping back and forth through time, make things seem constantly exciting.