Challengers (2024)

Okay, let’s get one thing straight — Challengers is not really a tennis movie. Yes, there are rackets, courts, and a lot of sweating under the sun. But what Luca Guadagnino is actually making here is a film about obsession. About the kind of wanting that doesn’t go away even when it probably should. About three people who got tangled up in each other’s lives at the worst possible time — and never really got untangled.

If that sounds intense, it is. This is one of those films that sits with you for days after you finish it. And for adult viewers who enjoy smart, character-driven drama with real heat and tension, Challengers is exactly the kind of film that reminds you why you love movies in the first place.

The Story: A Love Triangle That’s Been Burning for Thirteen Years

The film follows three people whose lives have been colliding and separating since they were teenagers on the junior tennis circuit. Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) was the one everyone had their eyes on — a prodigy, a future star, the kind of player you don’t forget once you’ve watched her play. Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) were best friends who both fell for her at the same time, which is the kind of thing that sounds like a cliché until you actually watch how Guadagnino handles it.

Years later, Tashi’s playing career is over due to injury, and she’s now coaching Art — her husband — who is a Grand Slam champion going through a brutal losing streak. To get his confidence back, she enters him into a low-level Challenger tournament. And then Patrick shows up. Broke, barely hanging on to his professional career, and still carrying something unresolved with both of them.

The film doesn’t tell this story in a straight line. It jumps between the present-day tournament and moments from the past — how the three first met, the night things shifted, the choices that set everything in motion. It sounds complicated, but it never feels confusing. Every jump in time adds a new layer, makes you reread a scene you already watched, makes you realize you didn’t fully understand something until now. That’s the kind of storytelling that genuinely rewards your attention.

Performances: All Three Are Absolutely On Fire

Where do you even start? Let’s start with Zendaya because, honestly, she’s the reason most people clicked play in the first place. And she does not disappoint. Her Tashi Duncan is not a likeable character in any conventional sense — she’s cold, controlling, and ruthlessly strategic. But Zendaya plays her with such total commitment and quiet intensity that you cannot take your eyes off her. There’s a version of this role that becomes a villain. In Zendaya’s hands, Tashi becomes something far more interesting — a woman who made choices she can’t undo and has built an entire identity around not showing that it costs her anything.

Josh O’Connor as Patrick is the film’s secret weapon. He plays him as a man with zero filter and absolute confidence in his own charm, even when that charm has long stopped working the way it used to. He’s frustrating, funny, and oddly sympathetic all at once. You understand why people loved him and why they eventually had to leave him behind.

Mike Faist is doing the quietest and maybe the most difficult work of the three. Art is the guy who got everything — the career, the girl, the titles — and still feels like he’s losing. Faist plays that specific kind of hollowness really beautifully. His scenes with both Zendaya and O’Connor feel genuinely uncomfortable in the best way.

Direction: Guadagnino Knows Exactly What He’s Doing

Luca Guadagnino is one of those directors who has a very particular kind of confidence — the camera is always exactly where it needs to be, and every scene has a clarity of purpose even when the emotions being portrayed are messy and complicated. He directs Challengers like someone who trusts his audience completely. There are no hand-holding moments, no scenes where characters explain their feelings directly to the camera. You have to read between the lines, and reading between the lines here is genuinely pleasurable.

The tennis sequences deserve special mention. Guadagnino films them less like sport and more like physical confrontation — close, aggressive, deeply personal. At one point the camera takes the point of view of the tennis ball itself, which should feel gimmicky but somehow feels exactly right. By the time the film’s final match arrives, it carries the full emotional weight of everything that’s come before. That’s not easy to pull off, and it’s pulled off brilliantly.

Music: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Are in a Different League

The score for this film is genuinely exceptional. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have done great work before — The Social Network, Gone Girl — but what they’ve created for Challengers feels like their most purely cinematic work yet. It’s electronic and pulsing and relentless, and it functions almost like a physical sensation rather than just a soundtrack. There are scenes where you feel the music in your chest before you consciously register what’s happening on screen. It’s the kind of score that makes a good film feel great.

What Really Works and Where It Stumbles

The film’s biggest strength is also the thing that will frustrate some viewers — it refuses to give you easy answers. Who is the villain here? Honestly, nobody. Who made the right choices? Honestly, nobody. The film holds all three characters accountable and lets all three of them off the hook at the same time, which is a difficult thing to do without feeling like a cop-out. Challengers mostly earns it.

Where it stumbles slightly is in the second act, where the time-jumping structure occasionally loses momentum. There are a handful of scenes that feel like they’re buying time rather than moving things forward, and Tashi’s interiority — despite Zendaya’s best efforts — sometimes feels just out of reach in ways that feel unintentional rather than deliberate.

The ending will also divide people. It’s ambiguous, it’s abrupt, and it asks you to do a lot of interpretive work very quickly. Some viewers will find it deeply satisfying. Others will want to throw something at the screen. Both reactions are completely valid.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Zendaya gives the best performance of her career — full stop
• Josh O’Connor is magnetic and completely unpredictable throughout
• The Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score is genuinely one of the best in years
• The non-linear structure is clever and rewards close watching
• Tennis sequences are filmed unlike anything you’ve seen in a sports film
• Guadagnino’s direction is assured, intimate, and visually stunning

Cons:

• Second act loses some momentum with the time-jumping structure
• Tashi’s character needed slightly more depth on the page
• The ambiguous ending won’t satisfy everyone
• Viewers expecting a conventional sports or romance film will be surprised

Final Verdict: Is Challengers Worth Watching?

Yes — without question. Challengers is the kind of adult drama that feels increasingly rare in mainstream cinema, the kind of film that trusts its audience to handle complexity, ambiguity, and desire without everything being spelled out neatly at the end. It’s sexy without being exploitative, intelligent without being cold, and emotionally honest in ways that will catch you off guard.

Zendaya has arrived as a genuine dramatic force. Guadagnino has made his most exciting and accessible film. And if you have a Prime Video subscription and a free evening, there really is no reason to skip this one.

Our Rating: 4 / 5 ⭐

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Challengers suitable for viewers under 18?
No. Challengers carries an R rating and contains mature themes, sexual content, and adult relationship dynamics. It is strictly for viewers aged 18 and above.

Where can I watch Challengers in India?
Challengers is available to stream on Prime Video in India. It was released on the platform on May 17, 2024.

Is Challengers based on a true story?
No. Challengers is based on an original screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. All characters and events are entirely fictional.

What does the ending of Challengers mean?
The ending is intentionally left open to interpretation. It suggests a moment of release and clarity for all three characters — but what happens next for each of them is left entirely to the viewer to decide.

Who plays Tashi Duncan in Challengers?
Tashi Duncan is played by Zendaya, who also served as one of the producers on the film.

What is the Rotten Tomatoes score for Challengers?
Challengers holds a 93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the most acclaimed films of 2024.

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