Such a refreshing watch and so refreshing to see a mid(ish) budget movie do as well as Challengers has at the box office. No insane CGI needed, just some good fucking tennis. And an incredibly hot cast.
The life of a Division I college athlete looks incredibly miserable through the lens of Challengers, honestly. With all the time dedicated to one’s sport, the goal is typically to go professional. But what if one just isn’t stable enough, or isn’t healthy enough? On the other hand, what if one chose to skip the college route to immediately go pro, but doesn’t quite make it? What other skills does one have besides hitting a ball with a racket?
Of course, the love triangle trope is overdone and hard to master at this point, but Challengers manages to pull it off. It’s corny or unbelievable at times, but for the most part, Art, Patrick, and Tashi’s lives weave together at the perfect pace for the audience to get tangled in them as well. The film also succeeds at having no true hero and no true villain, just complicated characters with complicated relationships. Sometimes we root for them, other times we’re embarrassed. Who knew hitting a ball with a racket could be so entertaining?
Crazy fun cinematography! Crazy fun soundtrack! Crazy fun in general!