Challengers
2024, R, 131 min. Directed by Luca Guadagnino. Starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist.
REVIEWED By Richard Whittaker, Fri., April 26, 2024
Tennis makes for great documentaries, from William Klein’s masterful The French to Barney Douglas’ portrait of the tortured superbrat, McEnroe. But when it comes to dramas, there’s something about the repetitive back-and-forth nature of the sport that convinces filmmakers that it’s a sport perfect to convey sexy melodrama and devious intentions.
It is not. Let’s just accept that it’s an excuse to drink Pimms, eat strawberries, and look out for silly hats at Wimbledon. Let us also just accept that the eternally heavy-handed Luca Guadagnino should be swatted away from making movies with anything approaching a metaphor.
Moving away from horror after the lumpen Suspiria and the vacuous Bones and All (less a film, more a Gucci ad riffing on Western vampire classic Near Dark), he rolls into the courtside thriller with all the sex appeal of a gym sock and a lousy script by Justin Kuritzkes, the poor man’s Whit Stillman. It’s trashy eurosleaze with none of the sumptuous debauchery.
The setup looks like a typical rich mouse/poor mouse tale, with superstar Art Donaldson (Faist) slumming it at a low-level tournament in New Jersey, facing off against burnout Patrick Zweig (O’Connor). In the stands is Tashi (Zendaya), Art’s wife and manager, who must understand tennis at a deeper level than anyone else because when the crowd looks left, she looks right. The narrative whipsaws back and forth to their first meeting at an earlier tournament, when Patrick and Adam were the bright young things of men’s doubles and Tashi was the blazing teen star whose light is snuffed out by an on-court accident. Across the 13 years (and it feels every second of them), they frot and fume and conspire and engage in increasingly absurd conversations about the nature of tennis.
The age of the actors is an undoubted issue, as they are required to play the trio across a dozen-plus years of interweavings, trauma, love, and loathing. As the teen Patrick, O'Connor has big “how do you do, fellow kids” energy and always looks in his thirties, while Zendaya is utterly unconvincing as a manipulative thirtysomething. Only Faist pulls off the transitions from the gulping Adam’s apple bravado of Art’s college years to his sullen maturity as an Andy Roddick-esque also-ran, and that’s not enough. Oh, and if you were hoping for the troilism implied by the trailer, prepare to be disappointed. Guadagnino seemingly thinks he’s being a tease, but he’s just dry humping the audience. Fun for him, not so much for anyone else.
So let’s talk about the sex. Challengers has all the eroticism of a worn-out sneaker – which may be your thing, no kinkshaming here. That said, Guadagnino does seem very happy to display his own peccadillos, with self-indulgent fetishistic overtones ramped up to deliriums rarely seen since Bob Fosse was behind a camera. Sweaty male forms with 3% body fat receive Beau Travail levels of adoration, whether it’s anything to do with the narrative or not. However, the director then cools off any heat with sequences that are either idiotically hilarious or hilariously idiotic. Either way, they are devoid of anything like nuance, although there’s a scene of Art and Patrick chomping on each other’s sugary churros that would make John Waters cringe at the lack of subtlety.
It’s all captured with comically awful cinematography from Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Call Me By Your Name, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives), a DP of such proven caliber that none of the terrible decisions can be put down to ineptitude and therefore must be the result of deliberate choices. Balls fly at the audience like a tacky 3D gimmick, crowd shots meant to highlight the central trio lose them, and the final rally between the boys is a balls-eye POV disaster too ridiculous for words.
Even the score from the Oscar-winning duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is a disappointment, seemingly and inexplicably pilfering Pink Floyd’s “On the Run.” It’s honked at the audience at alarming volume, sometimes obliterating the dialogue. If only the sound team had pushed heavier on the faders, because there were scenes when I wished that the mix would shove the eye-rolling script completely off court. And, let’s face facts, nothing here is going to beat hearing David Bowie’s “Time Will Crawl” on a theatre-level sound system. So, there’s that going in Challengers’ favor. Aside from that, it’s just double fault after double fault.
Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline
14028 Hwy. 183 N., 512/861-7070, www.drafthouse.com/austin/theater/lakeline
Sat., May 18
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Alamo Drafthouse Mueller
1911 Aldrich #120, 512/572-1425, drafthouse.com/austin/theater/mueller
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane
5701 W. Slaughter, 512/861-7060, drafthouse.com/austin/theater/slaughter-lane
Showtimes at this venue are subject to frequent change. Please confirm daily times by phone or website.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
1120 S. Lamar, 512/861-7040, www.drafthouse.com/theater/south-lamar
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Alamo Drafthouse Village
2700 W. Anderson #701, 512/861-7030, www.drafthouse.com/austin/theater/village
Tuesday matinee Baby Day shows (first show of the day) are intended for parents and their children younger than 6. Showtimes at this venue are subject to frequent change. Please confirm daily times by phone or website.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
AMC Dine-In Tech Ridge 10
12625 N. I-35, 512/640-1533, www.amctheatres.com
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Barton Creek Square (AMC)
2901 Capital of Texas Hwy. S., 512/306-1991, www.amctheatres.com
Matinee discounts available before 4pm daily. Bring Your Baby matinees the first Tuesday of every month.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Cinemark 20 and XD
N. I-35 & FM 1825, 512/989-8535
Cost for 3-D and XD shows is regular ticket price plus a premium.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Cinemark Cedar Park
1335 E. Whitestone, Cedar Park, 800/326-3264
Call theatre for complete list of movies and showtimes.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Cinemark Hill Country Galleria 14
12812 Hill Country Blvd., 800/326-3264, www.cinemark.com/theater_showtimes.asp?theater_id=377
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Cinemark Round Rock
4401 N. I-35, Round Rock, 800/326-3264
Cost for 3-D shows is regular ticket price plus a $3.50 premium. Call theatre for complete March 26-28 showtimes.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Cinemark Southpark Meadows
9900 S. I-35, 800/326-3264
Cost for 3-D shows is regular ticket price plus a $3.50 premium.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Evo Cinemas Belterra
166 Hargraves Ste. A-100, 512/457-0700, www.evocinemas.com/belterra
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Thu., May 23
Flix Brewhouse
2200 S. I-35, Round Rock, 512/244-3549, www.flixbrewhouse.com/round-rock
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Thu., May 23
Galaxy Highland 10
6700 Middle Fiskville, 512/467-7305, www.galaxytheatres.com
No one under 18 will be allowed in the theatre on Friday or Saturday after 7pm without an adult.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Gateway Theatre
9700 Stonelake, 512/416-5700
Discounts daily before 6pm. Cost for 3-D shows is regular ticket price plus a $3.50 premium.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Thu., May 23
iPic Theaters Austin
3225 Amy Donovan Plaza, 512/568-3400, www.ipic.com
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Metropolitan
901 Little Texas, 512/447-0101
Discounts daily before 6pm. Cost for 3-D shows is regular ticket price plus a $3.50 premium.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Thu., May 23
Moviehouse & Eatery
8300 FM 620 N., Bldg. B, 512/501-3520, www.cinepolisusa.com/our-theaters/x0nud-moviehouse-and-eatery-nw-austin/
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Moviehouse & Eatery - Lantana Place
7415 Southwest Pkwy., Bldg. 7, 512/572-0770, www.cinepolisusa.com/our-theaters/x1195-moviehouse-and-eatery-sw-austin/
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Violet Crown Cinema
434 W. Second, 512/495-9600, www.violetcrowncinema.com
Four-hour parking validation in attached garage with ticket purchase. Reserved seating; bar and cafe on-site.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Westgate 11
4477 S. Lamar, 512/899-2717
Discounts daily before 6pm. Cost for 3-D shows is regular ticket price plus a $3.50 premium.
Sat., May 18
Sun., May 19
Mon., May 20
Tue., May 21
Wed., May 22
Thu., May 23
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Marjorie Baumgarten, Nov. 18, 2022
May 17, 2024
May 16, 2024
Challengers, Luca Guadagnino, Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist