Challengers

This was not what I was expecting. I thought I was going to be served (let the tennis puns begin) a dumb teen romance movie that was cutesy and by the numbers, LOVE-15. It was not. What was fired over the net was more akin to "Saltburn" than "10 Things I Hate About You." This was sexy, arty, but without the pretention. With a pounding electronic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and dazzling visuals, this movie will get your pulse up. What's it all about? A love triangle between double players Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) who become rivals over tennis star Tashi (Zendaya). The story is told back and forth, switching from present to past; this editing choice seems intentional. Everything here is a rally, a back and forth, a fight. The tension is as taut as the net strung across the court, both sexual and for the outcome of the match at hand. This is the "Tombstone" of tennis. There hasn't been a lot of good films to watch in the theatres recently. This is a match to catch. It's an ace down the center line.