Challengers Review

Challengers is a film which was directed by Luca Guadagnino who some may know as the director of Bones and All (2022). The film stars Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Conner.

Synopsis from IMDB: Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, turned her husband into a champion. But to overcome a losing streak, he needs to face his ex-best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.

Challengers was a film that I was very excited to see. As a Tennis fan, I was keen to see a Tennis drama at the cinema, there really aren’t many. Also this film sits in the romance/comedy genre which is something that is getting rare these days at the cinema, it’s something different compared to so many action films that get released every week.

The performances in this film are excellent. Zendaya played her character well and is the biggest star in the cast. The only thing I thought was that possibly she wasn’t in the movie enough. Much of the story focusses on her husband’s best friend Patrick who was played by Josh O’ Conner. He was excellent and I found him to be very entertaining. Mike Faist was also quite good. All 3 of these actors combined played off each other well.

The movie flows really well. This is probably my favourite Luca Guadagnino film. The pacing is just right, the story unfolds in a easy to understand way and the script is both funny and filled with drama. It was a great night out at the cinema.

The only criticism I have is that there’s not enough tennis. There’s a bit of it, but for some reason I wanted more of the tennis scenes.

Overall Challengers was a pleasant viewing experience and it’s a film that I’m happy to recommend going out to see this weekend. The cast is excellent, the script is great and the film is well put together by Luca Guadagnino. If you watch Challengers, this weekend, I have no doubt you’ll have a great time out.