I really did not like Challengers! To be honest, this was one of those movies that was advertised like crazy and I started to get sick of it before I saw it. Still, Zendaya is a very talented actress and I do actually like tennis so I thought that it could be pretty fun. Over two hours later and I was waiting like a ball boy ready to grab an out of bounds ball to run out of the theatre.
How to Download Challengers
Challengers was released on April 26, 2024. You can expect to be bale to download or stream this film from a digital platform in about two months later. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the availability. If you like Zendaya, check her out in Spider-Man: Homecoming or Dune.
The Movie Review
The thing is, Challengers on paper sounds like a damn good sports movie. We have two best friends Art and Patrick, played by Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor. Art and Patrick meet tennis prodigy and rising star, Tashi who is played by Zendaya. Both guys fall for her and they have this super odd nearly threesome that is in all of the trailers. I would wager that many people went to see this movie based on that scene alone.
Forced Love Triangle
Patrick manages to woo Tashi enough that they end up dating and have a long term relationship while she is at college, the same college as Art. We end up with a love triangle that is some of the most forced garbage I have ever seen. I think that the movie is trying to be edgy, but it just came across as trying way too hard.
Unlikable Characters
I found Tashi to be such an unlikable character and the two guys seemed like morons for letting her get between their friendship. I am not sure which of these characters I was supposed to actually like and the whole ending tennis match was just so dumb. I feel like they felt like this was some kind of epic sporting moment, but it felt like it went on forever and the way it ended had me rolling my eyes so much I got dizzy and nearly walked into the wall as I was heading out of the theatre.
Who Was This Made For?
I am still not sure who exactly Challengers was made for. I get that the three leads are all popular young actors who are very talented. However, the “sexual tension” between these characters did not feel real or natural at all. Maybe if you are a teenager or someone in their early 20s it will grab you more than it grabbed me, but as I said, I honestly have no idea who the heck this movie was made for.
Overhyped Advertising
2024 has had some huge movies and I have to say that Challengers is right up there with the movies that I saw advertised the most. The studio went all out with this to the point where the advertising was kind of obnoxious. Also, Luca Guadagnino is a very popular and amazing director, but the way the trailer felt the need to call him “visionary” really did not sit well with me.
Disappointing Tennis Movie
While Challengers was not exactly a movie that I was desperate to see, I thought that it could be a fun tennis movie. Instead, what I got was a boring love triangle with some of the most forced sexual tension I have seen in a movie. There are some movies that I see in the theatre that I do not like but want to give them a second chance, Challengers is not one of those movies!
