Challengers Movie: My Thoughts

A review no one asked for

I’m always weary when it comes to tennis films, as maybe other athletes are to their respective sports. For me, it’s because I live this life. I don’t need to see other people’s interpretations of what they think happens in this world. Especially when it’s almost always being portrayed in an overly dramatized way, and rarely realistic.

I imagine me critiquing this movie would be a lot like doctors talking about Grey’s Anatomy, or lawyers with Suits. There’s going to be a certain bias because when it comes to your profession, you know the ins and outs more than the average person. And when it comes to creating a world that revolves around something you haven’t lived in yourself, it’s going to be hard to replicate. According to screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, he drew inspiration from the 2018 US Open Women’s final between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, specifically when Serena received a code violation for coaching; a judgement she took great offense to. He also expressed his confusion when seeing Mirka, Roger Federer’s wife, looking stressed during his match with Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon the following year. It’s interesting reading his thoughts on those situations because it’s coming from the outside looking in. He doesn’t know that there are rules on coaching during matches, or that it can be more stressful watching a match than actually playing it. So watching his own impressions translate into this film were definitely interesting to see.

The three main characters, Tashi, Art, and Patrick are some of the top junior tennis players in the world, with Art and Patrick continuing their career into the pro level. I don’t think anybody would go into this movie expecting world-class strokes. And while the tennis is definitely not at peak professional level, I absolutely appreciate the work and effort that was clearly being made. It’s a movie. If you want to watch real tennis turn on ESPN.

But I’m not here to be politically correct, so here are some of my brutally honest thoughts that had me contemplating walking out mid movie.

So, I have absolutely never heard of anyone getting turned on by someone’s tennis abilities. I mean maybe I’m hanging around a different crowd at tournaments but wow that’s… something. And throughout the film, the storyline is clearly about the love triangle between Art, Patrick, and Tashi, with everything being portrayed through their tennis. But when you take extended breaks in between games and sets for both boys to make googly eyes at Tashi (understandable, but still), it feels overplayed. Kuritzkes has said that he views a tennis match as “intimate”, “erotic”, and “sexy”.

I wish.

I can see how Luca Guadagnino, the director of the film, wanted to use rallies and point play to build up the tension between the characters. But points spanning for minutes and rallies just going up the middle made the sport feel a little like a joke. And no spoilers but the rules are clear that when you touch the net you lose the point. I have no problem with ridiculous slow-mo swings and waterfalls of sweat, just DON’T TOUCH THE GODDAMN NET PLEASE IT’S NOT THAT HARD!

You almost had me.

Now for the things I appreciate.

I’ve talked about the difficulties I've faced as a tennis player more than enough times. I think what this movie does a great job of is not shying away from how tennis is making these characters’ lives even more challenging (hehe). From grinding on the challenger tour to losing confidence after not getting enough wins, these are all things I relate to. A lot of the time what goes on in your personal life has an affect on your professional life, and vice versa. They did a really good job of showing how the struggles on and off the court feed on each other.

There were some aspects to Tashi that I especially connected to. She was the number one junior in the world, at the peak of her career, when life had other plans. Her whole life revolved around tennis and it was the only thing she truly cared about. Even when injury forced her to retire, she couldn’t step away from the sport. She coached other players before reuniting with Art, which affected both their lives. On the outside it’s easy to see that she has many things to live for: her daughter, husband, and foundation. But as the movie progresses you notice how much her identity is tied to tennis. So much so that she expects everyone around her to have that same level of passion at all times. It’s hard when you can only see yourself in one way. And throughout the movie Tashi continuously battles the notion that tennis isn’t everything.

Within this love triangle there is tension, passion, and *a lot* of hormones. But the attraction goes hand in hand with each boys’ tennis abilities. You don’t really know if Tashi is into them as people, or just because they’re good at tennis. As much as you see Art and Patrick trying to find themselves while bending over backwards for Tashi’s attention, you also see her wrestling with her individuality. All three characters are faced with the obstacle of how they see themselves without tennis as a crutch. And that’s a big hurdle to overcome.

All in all, would I recommend this movie? It depends. If you’ve taken tennis seriously in your life, I’d steer clear. While the film isn’t about tennis, there may be too many cringe moments for you to see past. However, I think the general public would probably enjoy it. It’s thought-provoking, raunchy, and the chemistry is great. If anything, seeing Zendaya on the big screen is probably convincing enough.

But maybe I’m not the right person to ask.

Also the soundtrack hit.