Challengers

What a mess. You know you are in trouble when in the final act of a film, particularly a sports film, you find yourself with no investment or interest in the outcome. Honestly, shouldn't I be cheering for someone? Anyone? Anyone at all? A Challenger is a tennis tournament, often with local sponsorship for small prize money, for those not quite good enough for the main tour tournaments. The film from director Luca Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes is aptly named as it too is not-yet-ready for prime time.

There are certainly interesting aspects to the film, but man does Challengers go off the rails in terms of plot, acting, directing, writing, cinematography, score, and editing. It's impressive in how a movie like this is bungled in nearly every level of filmmaking simultaneously. At any time Challengers is a soap opera drama, a sports story, a tepid love triangle (where only the two men have any chemistry for each other), a one-sided sports rivalry, and a drama about the grind of tennis on relationships.

Megacon Live Spring 2024 Cosplay Showcase (Part 1)

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