Challengers is a tennis movie the same way 2011’s Moneyball is a baseball movie – the film is about a lot more than tennis. There’s a lot of tennis in the film but the focus is the relationships between Tashi Donaldson (Zendaya), Patrick (Josh O’Connor), and Art (Mike Faist).

Director Luca Guadagnino took a non-linear approach to the film by shifting between past and present. The core of the story revolves around the Challenger tennis tournament in New Rochelle, NY in 2019.  The tournament is the foundation for a seductive story about friendship, love, competition, and the will to win. The flashbacks, that start the night the three met, tell the history of Tashi and the boys and provides context to how they all ended up at the Challengers tournament at in 2019.

Without giving away too much, Tashi’s career is sidelined by a knee injury and has turned to coaching. Patrick is a talented tennis player but sleeping in his car struggling to stay in the tennis circuit. Art is a huge tennis star going through a losing streak. He’s looking to get some wins at a lesser tournament so his confidence up before the U.S Open.

Tashi is at the center of everything that’s happening. She’s been the sun these men have orbited around for some time. All three showing up at this tournament has the potential to be problematic when old wounds are reopened as the story barrels towards an inevitable showdown.

This is a star-making performance for Zendaya. She’s electric every moment she’s onscreen. The character and role feel tailored to make Zendaya a bigger star than she already is. There’s a subtly she plays Tashi with that makes the character believable and probably relatable to high performing athletes. This performance will make people ask if there is something Zendaya can’t do. We will see Zendaya with a little gold statue sooner than later.  Faist and O’Connor both deliver fantastic performances. Especially when you see them compete over the years – who they are as men evolves as well as their approach to the game of tennis and life.

Along with the amazing performances, the brilliant screenplay by Justin Kurtizkes is what makes this work. It’s a very mature script that doesn’t ask the audience to choose a side or make someone out to be a villain or hero. It allows the audience to come to their own conclusion about these characters and the actions taken.

Challengers is a lot of fun. Despite some of the serious themes, the movie is lighter than expected. It can feel like a serious drama at times and a coming-of-age romantic comedy at the same time. When it gets to the tennis scenes, it’s a badass sports movie about a tennis tournament. The film flows in and out of genres while taking them all seriously and executing them at a high level.

This is the kind of film that doesn’t get made often. Challenger is the perfect mix of an artistic director, strong script, and three young stars on the rise. It’s not a franchise or a movie that needs a sequel. It’s film about relationships and people that isn’t interested in giving the audience a happy ending. It’s a mature film that will make you think and maybe do a little self-examination.

Grade: A+