Challengers garnered substantial attention before its release, primarily due to a suggestive trailer hinting at a Zendaya-centred throuple, which has since inspired numerous sexually charged TikTok trends throughout its theatrical run. Despite its promising premise and striking aesthetics, Challengers ultimately fails to deliver on its initial promise. The film lacks genuine eroticism, instead resembling an advertisement for the lifestyles of wealthy tennis players. It seems more concerned with showcasing Zendaya's wardrobe as the stone-cold Tashi than developing a progressive psychosexual drama.
The film pivots on a significant tennis match between old friends Patrick Zweig (played by Josh O’Connor), a now down-and-out tennis player, and his successful counterpart, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), whose friendship ended many years earlier due to their shared romantic interest in Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a child prodigy turned hardened tennis coach. Flitting between this sexually charged match (think sweat and grunting) and the past events that led to it, the narrative is unerringly about tennis - "we're always talking about tennis". This is reflected in the structure, bouncing between the characters' shared histories in a way that feels almost too convenient, giving the viewer no option but to see every stylistic choice as related to tennis without much more substance. Undeniably, the film is a beautifully shot show of gorgeous green lawns and intergenerational wealth, and the drip-feed approach to revealing the plot effectively builds tension. However, this tension is not realised to its full potential, and the conclusion feels like a breath inhaled but never relieved, leaving the viewer mildly unsatisfied, and certainly sexually frustrated.
Considering there has been much online discourse about the necessity of sex scenes in cinema recently, it is interesting to find that Challengers has returned to the old-fashioned Hollywood approach of skipping the 'meat' in favour of a passionate kiss and a post-coital spooning. Whilst this could and does work for some narratives, for a film that is so centred on the complicated sex lives of its intertwined protagonists, the lack of real intrigue into the sex that seems to be so significant that it has derailed these three individuals' lives feels like a failure in storytelling. It is a surprisingly clean film, especially considering the highly sexual tone of the promotional material, and there is lost potential in its erotic moments, particularly between Patrick and Art. Most frustratingly, Tashi's chemistry with the male leads feels stilted, unconvincingly erotic, whereas, the boys' scenes together hold the most sway over the screen, to the extent that as a viewer, you want to tell Tashi to leave them alone to get on with being lovers.
By leading the viewer on with unrealised eroticism, the film also limits its ability to explore genuine character development. This is partly a product of the narrative's structure, choosing to flip-flop like a tennis match across the years. However, without any prolonged visits to the past, we fail to understand these characters and their motivations. It’s a testament in particular to Josh O’Connor, that he was able to bring out the most nuance in his character. We could easily, however, chalk that up to Patrick having the most ups and downs, the most intrigue, whereas Tashi and Art remain emotionally unmoving, particularly Tashi, whose transition into a strict, domineering coach had the opportunity to be interesting, but consistently fell short. By the end of the film, we might have an idea of who Patrick is as a character, but Tashi and Art are elusive, particularly the former, Tashi, an injured prodigy turned coach, wife, and mother, but her experiences are seemingly less important than who she’s having sex with. If the viewer wants to understand why Tashi holds such sway over Art and Patrick, they won't get any answers here, the film instead relies on Zendaya's star power, as if to say, "of course these boys love her, look at her".
Amongst the endless films about tennis, Challengers could have been a real winner, offering up a sexy queer thriller. However, what the viewer gets are lingering looks and teenage make-out sessions, extensive bouts of tennis and buzzy one-liners that work well in a TikTok video. Challengers is a great example of oversexed promotion that fails to deliver, and could very much be a litmus test for how sex is depicted in cinema - how much we get versus how much is promised, and how much is needed for the story to progress. Ultimately, in a film where sex and tennis are claimed as central to the plot, in reality, we’re only served up tennis.
Image Glamour
edited by Charlotte Lewis
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