It occurs to me that I am wholly unqualified to write movie reviews. Before last weekend, the last film I saw in a theater was Star Wars Rogue One, which was released in December 2016. Yet here I am, attempting to apply my trademark overthinking to the movie “Challengers.” I have unconventional perspectives to share since I dwell mostly on tennis rather than the cinematic art form.
The plot was extremely slow to develop, and I found myself glancing at my watch for the first hour. I have read other reviews that claimed the writing was flat but that Zendaya’s star power still made the character of Tashi Duncan pop. I have an alternate viewpoint. The problem wasn’t the writing but rather the absurd premise on which the script was built. The love triangle between Tashi, Art Donaldson, and Patrick Zweig was absurd on many levels. The writing and off-court acting were fine, but the movie had too many foundational issues to overcome.
Challengers puts viewers through an emotional rollercoaster. At times, I was deeply sympathetic to each character’s struggles, only to be shocked and repulsed by their actions and the depths of their flaws. This is the hallmark of skilled storytelling. On the other hand, I prefer to feel some enduring sympathy toward at least one character, but I found none of that in this movie.
While I am arguably not the best source for whether any film is objectively good, I am uniquely positioned to determine if it brings credit to the sport. Unfortunately, this is not one of those cases. The poor stroke mechanics of the actors were impossible to overlook. It also graced us with stunning inaccuracies of college tennis eligibility and sponsorship rules surrounding amateur players at the time the movie was set. The film also included a lack of realism in how the professional tours operate. The climactic final match even had gross inaccuracies in code violations that were assessed. Challengers should not be confused with an accurate depiction of tennis.
My other focus when critiquing a “tennis” movie is its potential impact on the overall tennis ecosystem. After watching Challengers, I cannot imagine a parent becoming inspired to put their kid into competitive tennis. The characters were too self-absorbed and neurotic. Similarly, I cannot imagine the film will attract new young players of either gender to the sport for much the same reasons.
For me, Challengers falls short on multiple fronts. While the meandering plot yielded an emotional rollercoaster, the storytelling failed to elicit enduring sympathy for any of the characters. While the movie’s climactic scene suggests that everything turned out OK, I could not help but notice that all three protagonists are essentially in the same place where they started. They are self-absorbed and unlikable people who undoubtedly will have future problems.
If you are a person who takes in a lot of movies, by all means, go see Challengers. If you are a tennis player who wonders if this film will resonate with you, I’d recommend waiting until it is available for streaming. It’s not terrible, but it is also not good for much more than a couple of hours of mindless entertainment.
