Spearheaded by strong acting leads and a syncopated club music score, “Challengers” revitalizes an old film style to become the freshest cinematic breeze this spring.
While a love triangle in the sports world is nothing new for movies (think “Bull Durham”) because, as metaphors, both lovers and athletes need to possess passion and a competitive spirit to win, “Challengers” takes this tried-and-true trope and sets it in a structure that succeeded in the past. In the film noir style of movies like 1945’s “Mildred Pierce” or 1948’s “House of Strangers,” “Challengers” tells its characters’ stories through flashbacks, showing there’s more to their story than meets the eye. Like peeling back the layers of an onion, we see a stronger potency lying beneath the surface.
The movie opens at a men’s singles tennis match between two former doubles partners: Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). Art is a singles star who’s on a losing streak; Patrick ekes out a living playing small tournaments. Thirteen years earlier, when Art and Patrick were a doubles duo, the 18 year-olds were nicknamed “Fire and Ice” and had a promising future. Then they met Tashi (Zendaya), a tennis phenom who became involved with both men. Tashi is seated in the stands at this present-day match; she’s now married to Art and serves as his coach.
While “Challengers” unveils the back story of Art, Patrick and Tashi, this is what we learn: Art is the pragmatic of the pair and the one with the talent to take tennis seriously; Patrick’s cocky and confident, using the sport to spare him getting a real job; Tashi sees through the two of them and romantically tears the pair apart.
Normally, the flashbacks in “Challengers” would seem jerky. However, if the story were laid out sequentially, it wouldn’t be as interesting. In discovering their relationship dynamics and character traits, we sense a culminating future impact. Just as Hollywood’s yesteryear proved, slowly doling out information was like gathering clues to a mystery. The mystery of “Challengers” is presented within the opening scene: is it a coincidence that the former partners are paired off together in a match orchestrated by the former lover of both or is there another game being played than the one on the court?
Breathing new life into the old film noir structure is what keeps “Challengers” engaging. Credit Justin Kuritzkes with a cagey script and actors who embody their roles: Zendaya as the feisty independent attraction, Faist making Art a silent steely observer; O’Connor playing Patrick with a smirk that’s the sign of a master manipulator. But it’s director Luca Guadagnino who gives “Challengers” its energy and style- he bypasses what easily could have become a stale, salacious soap opera.