It’s always fun when an upcoming movie gets hot on the viral/meme circuit of social media. Things get even more interesting when you add a layer of HORNY to the shenanigans. Challengers is imminently approaching but has been making headlines for quite some time due to its sexually charged content, made instantly notorious for the film orbiting around the molten-like celebrity of Zendaya. Due to her fame, relationships, and past work, the movie’s advertising lends itself to a lot of jokes and gags, particularly surrounding that scene everyone knows from the trailers. Yet, despite this movie’s reputation as potentially a rare Gen Z erotic drama, underneath the surface is a movie that may have genuine dramatic heft.
The film is written by Justin Kuritzkes in what is the start of a potential multi-film collaboration with well respected director Luca Guadagnino. Guadagnino is incredible at visual storytelling, dialogue, and drawing great performances from his actors. He’s also a bit of a freak; you can see this play out onscreen in the likes of Suspiria (2018) and Bones and All (2022). He’s beloved because he’s good first and foremost, but also because he’s a little nasty. In many ways, his filmography is an eclectic catalog – if you lined them all up, you wouldn’t immediately guess they’re all from the same director. Guadagnino continues to show his versatility here – a sports drama about a former prodigy (Zendaya) desperately assisting her struggling husband to get his tennis career turned around. That is until the married couple encounter a figure from the past that they both have tremendous history with.
The marketing for the movie thus far has been fun and eye-catching. It seems like the type of film that would be playing Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy in the trailers but has sidestepped that cliche in favor of S&M and most recently – Maneater. The latest trailer is below and highlights the many chapters of a tumultuous love triangle:
Guadagnino is balancing a lot here; from sports drama to young-adult romantic comedy and a sensual thriller. Although Guadagnino is a great director, and I like most of his films, it can be questioned whether this weird concoction of competing genres will actually come together in a satisfying end product. But perhaps that’s just trepidation talking, having experience of seeing seemingly worthwhile projects with snappy trailers hide their flaws, usually attributed to a screenplay having to juggle too many ideas and tonal shifts. Challengers may avoid that pitfall, but it’s difficult to discern from the advertising if the writing is strong enough to deliver on a promising premise.
With that said, the acting should be terrific, and one of the bigger draws of this movie. Faist and O’Connor appear to be likable and mallable enough to make their friendly rivalry ting with drama. Meanwhile, no film has ever been more firmly placed on Zendaya’s shoulders as this feature, as she appears poised to carry the movie in a strong lead role. A tennis athlete who loses her sense of control when she suffers a debilitating injury, then attempts to regain that control by playing a dangerous game with the hearts of two young men. It’s a devious entrapment, but one that also gets you to see the layers, flaws, and depth of Zendaya’s character. It will be interesting to see how the movie explores the idea that all of her actions will not be virtuous while still drawing sympathy for a figure of seemingly many complexities.
Thus far, I don’t believe Guadagnino has really failed us as film fans. I mean, sure, Suspiria was bizarre and perplexing even for him, but I wouldn’t say any of his features are without fascinating artistic merit. Some of his works are classics in their genre, and Challengers will be his most palatable and mainstream movie to date. It’s good for movies that a property such as this, not dependent on a built-in fanbase, can generate buzz and excitement, offering a unique story and genre for 2024’s slate. The movie may not end up a masterpiece, but I believe (given the players involved) there’s almost no chance for it to end up outright bad, and it may prove itself to be one of the year’s best.
Challengers serves its way into theaters everywhere on April 26, 2024.
