“Challengers” is a bit of a tease. That’s what makes it fun.
There is plenty of skin, sweat, close-ups of muscly thighs and smoldering looks of lust and hate in this deliriously over-the-top psychodrama. But get that image of Josh O’Connor,Zendaya and Mike Faist sitting together on the bed out of your mind. Most of this action takes place on the tennis court.
It’s still a sexy tennis movie about friendship, love, competition and sport set to a synth-y score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — it just might not contain exactly what you think it does. But remember, Luca Guadagnino is the one who filmed Timothée Chalamet with that peach, perhaps more memorable than any actual sex scene from the past decade. Manage expectations, but also trust.
And like “Call Me By Your Name” did for Chalamet, “Challengers” is one of those rare original big-screen delights that firmly announces the arrival of a new generation of movie stars. Zendaya and Faist already had a bit of a leg up. She has played significant supporting roles in some of the biggest movies of the past few years, from “Spider-Man” to “Dune,” and he had had his big cinematic breakthrough as Riff in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” But it’s O’Connor who really comes out on top, effectively shedding any lingering image of him as a whiny, dweeby Prince Charles in seasons three and four of “The Crown.” In “Challengers,” his Patrick Zweig is the cocky, flirty, slightly mean, slightly dirty and slightly broken bad boyfriend of our fictional dreams.
WBC strips Jermall Charlo of middleweight title following DUI arrest. Carlos Adames is new champion
LIZ JONES: How the past few days have shown us the depth of Kate and Charles's special relationship
Amendments to Missouri Constitution are on the line amid GOP infighting
James Argent showcases his toned arms following 14
4 die in fiery crash as Pennsylvania police pursued their vehicle
Camila Cabello flashes her taut tummy and hot pink underwear while out in LA
Wrexham schedules 3 games in US and Canada in July
Father's grief after boy, 14, with 'no concept of danger' is found dead in river after vanishing
Love Island's Molly Smith shows off her incredible abs in a sexy cut