love chumbak movie review

'Chumbak' review: This Akshay Kumar-backed venture is masterclass of cinema

Akshay Kumar -backed Marathi venture Chumbak dropped on SonyLIV this past week. The highly-acclaimed film stands up to its award circuit fame with honest performances from the chief cast, innocence in the story, and touching portrayal. Directed by Sandeep Modi, the project, lasting an hour and 41 minutes, has been produced by Naren Kumar, Aruna Bhatia, and Cape of Good Films. Here's our review.

Why does it matter?

After having its world premiere at the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image ( MAMI ) Film Festival in 2017, the thoughtful film is premiering on an OTT platform only now. "I don't want to earn money by producing this film," Kumar had said back in 2018 before the movie's release in theaters. It's an excellent opportunity for everyone to watch Chumbak , who didn't catch it then.

Two teenagers plot to fleece someone but plan falls through

Baalu (Sahil Jadhav) is a teenager working at a restaurant in Mumbai . He dreams of opening his own juice stall and that might become true if he can collect a certain amount within a week. Desperation and turn of events make him pull off a scam with the help of his friend Disco (Sangram Desai). Village simpleton Prasanna Thombare (Swanand Kirkire) becomes their victim.

Baalu is haunted by tug-of-war between his dreams and morals

But Baalu's conscience makes it difficult for him to follow through with the cheating. Modi keeps his portrayal raw yet relatable as Baalu realizes how cruel the world is at one step but then finds his morals compromised when he tries to pull something. This constant tug-of-war between his dream and morals makes up for an engaging watch. Which side will ultimately win?

The performances are brilliant, execution deserves praise

All three lead actors perform brilliantly. No wonder Kirkire had bagged a National Film Award for this act! Modi uses natural lighting to make the twists and turns in the narrative appear more constrictive. The ending montage is one of the finest examples of filmmaking on display. Verdict: The SonyLIV offering gets 4/5 stars . It is available in seven languages on the platform.

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Welcome to our blog that is devoted to the Gujarati film Love Chumbak! This picture, which was released on June 9, 2023, and was directed by Dhruv Bhatiya, is shaping up to be an experience that is both lovely and engaging. The key roles in Love Chumbak were played by members of a skilled cast, including Dipu Parmar, Archan Trivedi, Chetan Daiya, a

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Welcome to our blog that is devoted to the Gujarati film Love Chumbak! This picture, which was released on June 9, 2023, and was directed by Dhruv Bhatiya, is shaping up to be an experience that is both lovely and engaging. The key roles in Love Chumbak were played by members of a skilled cast, including Dipu Parmar, Archan Trivedi, Chetan Daiya, and Ragi Jani, and their exceptional performances are highlighted throughout the film. In addition, well-known performers such as Arvind Vegda and Firoz Irani bring even more star power to the already impressive cast.

Not only is Love Chumbak a film, but it is also a fantastic musical comedy that brings something fresh and original to the Gujarati film industry. The main character of the movie is portrayed as a person who has special needs and goes through life in his own extraordinary ways. This key character serves as the film's focal point. It tells a story that will warm your heart as it investigates the strength of love and compassion, as well as the resiliency of the human spirit.

Table Of Contents

Character Analysis

Box office collection, how to book a personalised celebrity message from a celebrity similar to celebrities from love chumbak on tring.

The journey that the viewer goes on with the protagonist, played by Dipu Parmar in the movie, is one that they will never forget. Because he is a person with special needs, his character is portrayed to deal with a variety of difficulties and impediments in his day-to-day life. Love Chumbak does a stunning job of capturing his experiences as well as his relationships with the world around him, all the while emphasising the significance of having empathy, comprehension, and acceptance.

In the movie, Love is a young man who has autism, and Lovina is a young woman who has cerebral palsy. Their tale is told throughout the movie. The two end up falling in love after meeting at a talent contest. Despite this, their families and society as a whole present obstacles for their partnership to overcome. The movie delves into topics such as love, acceptance, and overcoming challenges head-on.

The film demonstrates the transformative power of love, not just in the protagonist's own life but also in the lives of the others he meets along the way as he travels, and this is accomplished through the protagonist's journey. The story told in Love Chumbak is one that will warm your heart because it honours the human spirit, imparts essential lessons about accepting diversity, and shows that happiness can be discovered in the most unexpected of places.

The importance that Love Chumbak places on music is one of the game's most distinguishing features. Songs with a lot of spirit and a lot of energy are included in the movie, and they provide a bright and rhythmic touch to the storyline. Not only does the music supplement the story, but it also heightens the emotional effect, which helps to create moments that the audience will never forget and that will stay with them.

Love Chumbak is a musical comedy film that was made in Gujarati and it was released on June 9th, 2023. On May 7, 2023, Dipu Studios uploaded the trailer to YouTube and made it available for viewing. 

In spite of the early excitement and anticipation surrounding the film Love Chumbak, audience members have provided conflicting feedback about the movie. Others, particularly with reference to the narrative, expressed dissatisfaction, despite the fact that it was successful in touching a nerve with some viewers.

The music of the movie was singled out as one of the most praised aspects of the production. The listeners of Love Chumbak thought the songs were mesmerising, melodious, and had a lot of soul, and they gave the album a lot of positive feedback as a result. The music director and the composers were able to produce a score that was well received by the audience and contributed significantly to the overall immersive quality of the movie experience.

Nevertheless, the plot of Love Chumbak came in for some criticism from various members of the audience. Some viewers believed that the story lacked originality and depth, and that it did not fully interest them or offer a new viewpoint on the topic. Those who had great hopes were likely let down because the narrative did not live up to those expectations in terms of character development, pacing, or general clarity. 

Saraswati Maa: Shalini Pandey

Laxmi Maa: Shilpa Patel

Love: Dipu Parmar

Lovina: Maitry Joshi

Ram Gadhavi: Ragi Jani

Kishan Gadhavi: Chetan Daiya

Hishor Kaka: Archan Trivedi

Vijay Malvani: Firoze Irani

Harry: Arvind Vegda

Kumar: Hemang Dave

Chaman: Dixit Panchal

Ajay: Naisarg Mistry

Aarti: Prapti Ajwalia

Bunty: Ravi OmPrakash Rao

Bina: Army Vaja

Chirag: Hemang Shah

Chandni: Kashish Rathore

DJ: Aakash ZaLa

Dolly: Krina Pathak

Raman: Avinash Surti

Babu: K P Ajwalia

Chandu: Kushal Kalal 

Music Director: Anwar Shaikh

Cinematographer: Pappu K Shetty

Makeup & Hair Artist: Naimesh Tapodhan

Editor: Sunilsen & Dhruv Bhatiya

VFX Director: Jigar Thakor Nugar

Choreographer: Aswin Master & Deep Turi

Still Photographer: Jitendra Mehta

Dress Designer: Paresh Dhamecha

Background Music: Sunilsen & Anwar Shaikh

Line Producer: Ronak Ranchchh 

Dipu Parmar as Love

Love is shown throughout the film Love Chumbak as a patient who is diagnosed with autism. Love is the film's main character. His role brings a fresh point of view to the story, which also functions as the film's emotional pivot point. His uncle, portrayed by Archan Trivedi, was worried about his future but Love gets through life in his own unique ways.

Love is shown as a passionate musician, and his love for music develops into an essential aspect of his character throughout the story. Throughout the entirety of the movie, he is seen with his cymbal.

The bond that Love has with Lovina, a young woman who suffers from cerebral palsy, sheds light on Love's character and reveals his potential for loving and empathising with others. Despite the fact that they are so different from one another, Love is able to show Lovina compassion, understanding, and acceptance as their relationship deepens. The fact that he is able to go past Lovina's outward appearance and accept her for who she truly is illustrates the sincere and good-hearted temperament that he possesses.

The character of Love oozes happiness and purity, making for a film that is lighter and more humorous as a result. The innocent wonder, boundless zeal, and unflappable attitude with which he approaches life inspire everyone in his immediate vicinity. The existence of love serves to call to mind both the allure of uncomplicated pleasures and the significance of living fully in the here and now.

The total amount of money the movie made at the box office was Rs. 0.56 Crore. The picture was met with a variety of reactions from critics, which contributed to its mediocre box office performance.

A Gujarati movie called Love Chumbak offers its audience a cinematic experience that is both engaging and enjoyable. The film captures the spirit of love, joy, and the beauty of life thanks to its great ensemble, intriguing storyline, and the unique perspective of its major character. Viewers liked the movie thanks to its musical and comedic aspects. So take a load off, kick your feet up, and prepare to be swept away into the warm and fuzzy world of Love Chumbak.

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Love Chumbak Gujarathi Movie

Love Chumbak is a 2023 Gujarathi movie directed by Dhruv Bhatiya starring Dipu Parmar, Maitry Joshi, Archan Trivedi and Chetan Daiya. The feature film is produced by Dipu Parmar

Director: Dhruv Bhatiya Producer: Dipu Parmar

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Home » Review » Chumbak review: Akshay Kumar produced Marathi movie is the epitome of a beautiful story »

Chumbak review: Akshay Kumar produced Marathi movie is the epitome of a beautiful story

Chumbak is a film that has very real characters with real struggles. It does not have a single commercial aspect to it but that works in the favour of the film, Swanand Kirkire, especially, steals the show.

• Shaheen Irani

Last Updated: 10.01 PM, Nov 12, 2021

Baalu (Sahil Jadhav) plots to con a man along with his friend Disco. The man, Prasanna (Swanand Kirkire), is too smart and honest for the two young boys. Disco, who stands strong on his wrong principles, gives up soon after seeing Baalu warming up to Prasanna for an unknown reason. The film explores their journey together.

Chumbak begins with stunning visuals. It takes various shots from a sugarcane stall at sunrise. The effects given to a simple rask mesmerize you for quite a bit. We are then introduced to Sahil Jadhav.

He is a hardworker. The child has the face of someone who has to struggle for basic survival. How his personality changes with his friend Disco is quite clear and worth noting.

Simple, real and no additional background score works well for the film. Disco's real and practical way of living is something that will hit you hard. His 'world famous sceme' scene is so real it leaves you shocked.

After that, Baalu meets his first scam victim, Prasanna. He is a nervous man who gets very happy on being able to receive money. This makes Baalu nervous and feel for the man.

The film has a mention of Raghuram Rajan, who was the RBI chairman back then. Soon, Swanand Kirkire and Sahil Jadhav come face-to-face. It is one of the cutest things ever.

Swanand wins you over from the first frame. He only gets better as the movie progresses. He is so adorable it makes you smile.

As much as Disco is practical, Baalu is sensitive. This makes a perfect balance in their friendship. How Disco helps Baalu out during tough times is also worth noting.

How a man the two boys thought was worthless, make them follow him, is a story that will blow your mind. On the other hand, Swanand's message for his wife is the most beautiful thing you will come across in the film.

Prasanna and Baalu become partners in crime in the most unusual way. That is when we come to know about Baalu's backstory. The two's fight scene is also shot very simply but manages to show their individual frustration in life in the best way possible. Fortunately, the movie never gets too dark and has punchlines in the right places, like the Panduranga dialogue.

Chumbak beautifully explores the struggles of lower class people. It shows that there is a person like Baalu, Prasanna and Disco who each deal with a situation differently but somehow stick together to help each other no matter what.

The film is shot in natural light, in real environment. That makes Chumbak a much more interesting watch. It is also refreshing from stories set in Mumbai city. Here, the protagonists travel and end up in a village, which is Prasanna's home. The scene is absolutely heartwarming.

The story bounces back to square one in a way you would not see coming. Swanand's expressions in the last scene will touch you like never before. Sahil Jadhav performs equally well.

The last scene has too many references of Baalu's transformation. Him saying, "I had lost my way," the shining sun, him seeing a new opportunity when he is at crossroads in life, hint about the same.

There isn't a single frame you won't like in Chumbak. The story is beautiful, its execution is excellent and all the actors, especially Swanand Kirkire are a delight to watch from the first frame to the last. Chumbak is definitely a film that shouldn't be missed.

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Chumbak trailer: Akshay Kumar presents a ‘beautiful slice of life’ film

Presented by akshay kumar, chumbak stars swanand kirkire, sahil jadhav and sangram desai in pivotal roles. the film premieres on sonyliv on november 12..

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar on Wednesday shared the trailer of his production venture Chumbak that will start streaming on SonyLIV from November 12. Akshay shared the trailer of the Marathi film on Twitter with the caption, “A film so close to my heart, a film that has won so many hearts. So proud to present this beautiful slice of life. Stay tuned on @SonyLIV for a critically acclaimed masterpiece that #Chumbak is. Streaming from 12th November.”

Chumbak stars Swanand Kirkire, Sahil Jadhav and Sangram Desai in pivotal roles. The film follows two teenage boys as they try to implement a phishing scam, but things go awry as the middle-aged man they are trying to con gets a whiff of their scheme. The three characters do their best to survive in a dog-eat-dog world.

A film so close to my heart, a film that has won so many hearts. So proud to present this beautiful slice of life. Stay tuned on @SonyLIV for a critically acclaimed masterpiece that #Chumbak is. Streaming from 12th November. pic.twitter.com/MiqCBlvIDK — Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) November 10, 2021

Directed by Sandeep Modi, Chumbak has been produced by Naren Kumar, Aruna Bhatia & Cape of Good Films.

Swanand Kirkire won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Chumbak. He previously also won an honour at the Maharashtra State Film Awards for his role in the Marathi film. Swanand is a renowned lyricist who has won two National Film Awards for writing the lyrics of Lage Raho Munna Bhai’s “Bande Me Tha Dum Vande Mataram” and 3 Idiots’ “Behti Hawa Sa Tha Who”.

Chumbak had its world premiere at the 2017 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

• Akshay Kumar

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Films with a socially relevant topic sometimes tend to get preachy and boring. However, Chumbak touches your heart and qualifies for a must-watch this weekend.

Chumbak Movie Review

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Chumbak - Official Teaser

Chumbak - Official Trailer

Chumbak | Song - Chumbak Chitak Chikatla

Chumbak - Dialogue Promo

Chumbak - The Making

Chumbak | Song - Motaricha Chaak

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• This film marks the first collaboration of uncle-nephew duo Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Arjun is the son of Anil’s brother Boney Kapoor. Share
• This film marks the first collaboration of uncle-nephew duo Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Arjun is the son of Anil’s brother Boney Kapoor.
• This is the second time Arjun Kapoor is playing a double role, the first being Aurangzeb (2013).
• The song ‘Yamma yamma’ from ‘Shaan’ is sampled in the song ‘Partywali Night' for the film.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Love, Divided’ on Netflix, A Sweet Fantasy Romance That Seems To Ask The Question “What If Amélie Was A Contestant on ‘Love Is Blind’?”

Where to stream:.

• Love, Divided

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The new Netflix romance Love, Divided is a charming remake of the French romantic comedy Blind Date , set in Spain this time around. When a young pianist moves into a new apartment, she learns that her cranky neighbor is trying to drive her out because he can only work in complete silence. Eventually, they compromise on the noise, and soon after, they form a romantic relationship, without ever setting eyes on each other.

LOVE, DIVIDED : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A grand piano is hoisted by crane in front of an apartment building. A woman on the ground watches anxiously.

The Gist : Valentina (played by Spanish singer Aitana) is our anxious piano player, and she’s moving into a new apartment after a breakup with her ex. Her cousin, Carmen, has arranged a new life for her: a new apartment and new job at a coffee shop, in an effort to get Valentina to move on with her life, but Valentina is preoccupied with a piano audition she has in three weeks that she’s determined to practice for day and night.

David (Fernando Guallar) is Valentina’s new next door neighbor, Their apartments are barely soundproof, and David, an agoraphobic game designer, is something of a mad genius; he’s surrounded by gadgets and tools and requires complete silence to work.

David has successfully chased away every other tenant that has tried to move into the apartment next door by rigging up noisy contraptions that make spooky noises at all hours. Valentina and David speak through the wall and she learns he wants her out so that he can do his work in peace, but she holds firm that she’s not budging, so they engage in a noise-off to try and annoy one another through the wall: he wakes her up with loud banging, she plays piano at all hours. After a particularly contentious day where David critiques Valentina’s piano playing, he later offers an apology and the two start to talk from their respective sides of the wall and get to know one another.

Not only do the two become friendly, but they form a real relationship despite never seeing each other in the flesh, they even rearrange their apartments so their beds share the wall and they can sleep near one another. Valentina remains anxious about her piano audition, especially because her ex, a controlling older man who is also a conductor, has recommended her for it. He’s the one who pushed her to play professional piano, despite her love of singing, so really, she’s pushing herself as a pianist to satisfy him and make him look good. David recognizes that Valentina’s real love is singing and composing, and he encourages her to pursue those instead, but she doesn’t believe in herself enough, not yet anyway.

Eventually, the day of the audition comes and Valentina has to prove herself. She doesn’t exactly bomb it, but at David’s suggestion, instead of playing Beethoven, she plays an original number she wrote. Of course she gets kicked out of the audition and her ex is furious, but guess what? By this point, Valentina is a new woman, ready to come face to face with her future… and with David, who she’s finally ready to see in. the flesh.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Love, Divided combines a quirky, Amélie -like fantasy-meets-reality element to all of its settings (not to mention the fact that Valentina possesses a similar childlike quality to Amélie), mixed with a dash of Love Is Blind .

Our Take: Despite the fact that Love, Divided is a light, airy, implausible love story, it does something that many films like it don’t do, which is give its characters motivation and backstory. Valentina, meek and timid, has spent her life being told what to do, overshadowed and put in her place by a domineering ex. So, too, does David, whose commitment-phobia is rooted in a tragic loss. All of the “whys” come out eventually, which is a crucial component of creating characters instead of caricatures. Credit for that also must be given to the leads, Aitana and Fernando Guallar, who are subtle but convincing as they guide their characters toward love. And the rest of the supporting cast provides the right balance, as they all incredulously rib their two friends for creating a relationship with someone from behind a wall.

The film can’t really be categorized as a rom-com, as it’s fairly light on laughs, but it hits the same beats that a great romantic comedy should (despite having a big music number to showcase Aitana’s talent, it’s not really a musical, either), so I suppose it would be best categorized as a feel-good romance, basically a Spanish-language Hallmark movie. And that’s not meant in a negative way, the film is charming in all the best ways, while managing to avoid being saccharine or generic. While it could have used another pass to make it a little funnier or to give David’s character some resolution of his own (his mad-scientist schtick fades away and the game he’s been designing takes a backseat to his love life), the film slowly and surely builds toward a well-earned happy ending.

Sex and Skin: There’s one scene of Carmen and her date kissing, with implied sex after.

Parting Shot: Valentina and David break down the wall between their apartments and she climbs through the opening and into his arms. As they see one another for the first time, he says, “Hello,” and they fall into a kiss.

Performance Worth Watching: Carmen (Natalia Rodriguez), and Nacho, played by Paco Tous, give some good Carrie Fisher-Bruno Kirby vibes as Valentina and David’s respective sidekicks who also manage to have some sparks fly between them.

Memorable Dialogue: “This is the best dinner I ever had without being in the same room,” David’s friend Nacho says, excusing himself from a meal where he and David have sat on one side of a wall, opposite Valentina and Carmen on the other side.

Our Call: STREAM IT! Love, Divided is a hidden gem, a romantic fantasy that’s broad and appealing, not too heavy on the farce or mistaken identities, and hits just the right notes.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction .

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Challengers review: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist get entangled in a sexy love triangle

The three stars bring playful energy to director luca guadagnino's tennis romp.

Tennis is notoriously not a sport that lends itself well to the medium of film. The tension in this game is all about the silent moments between points, and continuously hitting a small ball with a racquet doesn’t make for exciting entertainment. But director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes have found a fascinating entry point: a tumultuous love triangle in which tennis is incidental to the story. Challengers , seemingly about three tennis players, is actually about three characters who play love like a tennis match, to get ahead and reap the rewards they want.

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The framework of the film is an important match in the careers of Patrick (Josh O’Connor) and Art (Mike Faist), rivals and former best friends. Between them is Tashi (Zendaya), former girlfriend of one and current wife and coach of the other. In flashbacks, the audience gets to know how they met 13 years ago and how their lives became intricately intertwined with each other. Guadagnino has always been attuned to capturing the fiery emotional undercurrents of relationships, as he proved in movies like I Am Love and Call Me By Your Name . For many of his characters, desire is their raison d’etre and the driving force of their narrative arc. In Kuritzkes’ screenplay desire is a weapon daringly, and sometimes manipulatively, used by the three protagonists. Seems like a perfect alignment of talent.

For the most part that is true. Kuritzkes’ screenplay is full of many instances where dialogue recedes to the background and the characters converse in looks and subtext. Guadagnino frames his three actors in many close-ups and medium shots where their eyes and the way they ogle each other tell the story. In return, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s camera ogles the actors’ bodies, capturing every flicker of light in their eyes, every trembling lip and sweaty brow. All of this makes for a movie high on sexual heat, something not seen much in contemporary American cinema.

To imitate the constant back and forth of tennis, the script relies on verbal callbacks. A character will mention a throwaway phrase foreshadowing a situation, and later on, that same phrase is repeated by the same character. Only this time, it’s actually truthfully describing what happens. This veers close to a schematic writing clutch, but works nonetheless. It knowingly lets the audience in on the private jokes of the characters . Challengers is not a glamorous depiction of tennis; rather, it’s a movie about what happens behind the scenes in crowded locker rooms, smelly dorms, and anonymous antiseptic hotel bars and hallways.

For the tennis matches, Guadagnino has a few tricks up his sleeve. First is Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ loud, thumping music. Then, the slowing down of many scenes to an almost standstill to show every nuance of movement on the actors’ faces while ignoring the uninteresting small yellow balls. These methods succeed only intermittently. The music becomes oppressive and intrusive in many instances and the freeze frames become too much to handle when they appear even in the non-tennis scenes. Both elements, however, make the final match that frames the whole movie exciting and carry the audience over to a satisfactory climax.

Zendaya, O’Connor, and Faist play off each other charmingly, particularly in the flashbacks when their characters are younger. Those scenes are lively and jocular and the three actors bring into them combustible chemistry. In one long seduction scene, Guadagnino and his three actors manage the kind of long, sexy kiss that hasn’t been seen on screen since Alfred Hitchcock prolonged Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant’s kisses to satisfy the censors in Notorious .

As the characters age and their relationships become more complex, the performances begin to feel less distinct. Zendaya’s Tashi is perhaps the most complex character she’s tackled in her career so far. The threads that connect the character’s motivations are not always neatly tied, as if she’s playing it one scene at a time. Tashi is fun and laid back in one scene, then manipulative and even sinister in the next. Obviously, multitudes exist in all people, but as played by Zendaya, Tashi seems like many different women rather than one coherent character. Faist has a grounded, warm screen presence that fits his character, an everyman with much less sharp edges than the other two. O’Connor, as a tennis bad boy fallen on hard times, has the flashiest character, and he brings to it an entrancing insouciance that makes him the center of attention. Sometimes a cliché phrase is the only way to describe a performance: he steals the film.

Veteran filmmaker Guadagnino and newcomer Kuritzkes make for a mostly successful partnership. Kuritzkes’ screenplay might be too wordy for what we are used to from Guadagnino, but it has enough room for him to use his trademark methods and try new ones. Some of the new tricks he uses excessively, lessening their overall impact. Still, Challengers remains an entertaining movie thanks to its complicated characters who are played by actors on their way to becoming sparkling screen stars.

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In Challengers , Luca Guadagnino serves up a film that is as much about the volleys of human emotion as it is about the physical rallies on the tennis court.

Set against the backdrop of professional tennis, Challengers opens on a match between Patrick Zweig (O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Faist), watched intensely by Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) from the stands. The tension is palpable, hinting at a shared history that the film soon unpacks, tracing back to the trio’s younger years. The film cleverly uses the sport as a metaphor for the characters’ interpersonal dynamics. 

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Art and Patrick, best friends since their youth, find their bond tested not just by their competitive natures but also by their mutual affection for Tashi. At this juncture, she emerges as a formidable contender in the tennis arena, her prowess on the court both awe-inspiring and intimidating to Patrick and Art. Her singular dedication to the sport is conveyed with a mix of humor and stern dismissal as she rebuffs their awkward advances, making it abundantly clear that tennis is her only love. This initial interaction, played for laughs, foreshadows the complex dynamics that later unfold. 

The narrative escalates when, under a guise of coercion, the duo persuades Tashi to join them in their hotel room, only for her to humorously misinterpret their intentions, asserting, “I’m not a homewrecker,” upon misconstruing their friendship as romance. Tashi, while maintaining a relationship with Patrick through college, faces a career-ending, pivotal moment that sees Art stepping in as her steadfast supporter. This incident deeply affects the trio, particularly altering the course of Patrick and Art’s friendship as they navigate the complications of love, loyalty and personal aspirations into their adult lives.

Zendaya’s Tashi is an intimidating presence, both on and off the court. She navigates her role with a compelling mix of strength and sophistication, and portraying Tashi as a catalyst in Art and Patrick’s lives giving her the role of attractor, antagonist and trickster. While she’s very good the character is nothing more than a plot device, where her existence mainly revolves around the two males. Because tennis is what she loves most, hearing more about her own personal wants and desires surrounding the sport would have served the character a bit more. I am not even sure if the character need to exist in order for the story to still be intact. However, with what she is given, she molds the performance to be physically convincing and emotionally resonant, highlighting her character’s strategic mind and complex emotions to the lengths the script allows.

O’Connor and Faist bring a palpable chemistry that transcends simple rivalry, suggesting a deeper, almost symbiotic relationship shaped by years of friendship and competition. Their interactions encapsulate the film’s central premise that love and rivalry are not mutually exclusive but are instead two sides of the same coin.

Visually, Guadagnino pays homage to ’80s sports films through a stylistic execution that captures the era’s vibrant energy but occasionally feels misplaced in the context of the film’s more serious themes. The direction, while striking, is less confident than in his previous works, with an unsteady hand that sometimes falters in maintaining the tension. An aspect that does bode well in Challengers is the exploration of male vulnerability, a recurring theme in his filmography. He portrays his male characters with a poignant rawness, capturing their emotional and physical nakedness without sensationalism.

RELATED: ‘Challengers’ Clip: Zendaya Curves Advances From Josh O’Connor & Mike Faist In Latest Look At Luca Guadagnino’s Tennis Drama

Musically, Challengers hits a few flat notes. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, typically a highlight, feels oddly juxtaposed against the film’s visual and emotional landscape with its ’80s synth-pop elements. At times, it enhances the scenes’ emotional depth, but more often it distracts, undermining the subtlety of the performances and the intimacy of the moments.

Challengers ambitiously attempts to weave complex threads through the metaphor of tennis, exploring themes of love, rivalry and personal growth. While it stumbles in its pacing and musical choices, the performances, particularly by Zendaya, and the chemistry between O’Connor and Faist keep the audience engaged. It’s a flawed but deeply human film that showcases Guadagnino’s persistent quest to probe the depths of emotional entanglements. It might not serve an ace with every shot, but it certainly keeps the viewer gripped until the game set match. 

Title:  Challengers Distributor: MGM Release date:  April 26, 2024 Director:  Luca Guadagnino Screenwriter:  Justin Kuritzkes Cast: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist Rating:  R Running time:  2 hr 11 min

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The long game review: a high-energy sports movie that is a tribute to texas, golf, & friendship.

Following the true story of a Mexican-American Texas golf team in the 1950s, The Long Game uplifts the audience but doesn't shy away from reality.

• The Long Game truthfully portrays the camaraderie of young Mexican-American golfers in 1950s Del Rio.
• The film's fast-paced narrative keeps the story moving, although character relationships are not fully explored.
• While lacking in character depth, The Long Game balances serious themes of racism with the joy of golf and friendship.

The Long Game has the difficult job of maintaining the integrity of true events and people while creating a concise and well-balanced narrative. It takes place 1950s Del Rio, Texas and follows a group of young Mexican-American highschoolers who form a golf team and compete against the all-white teams that dominated the sport at the time. At the heart of the story is JB Peña, a World War II veteran and school superintendent who will stop at nothing to get the boys and himself recognized and respected as part of the golf community.

JB Peña and his wife moved to the small town of Del Rio, TX. When JB is rejected by a country club on the basis of his skin color, he's devastated. But his world soon collides with a group of young Latino golf caddies who work there, and JB is inspired by the handmade course the boys built to teach themselves golf.

• The Long Game truthfully tells its story
• The film's strengths lies in the camaraderie of JB and his friends
• The Long Game tells a well-balanced story
• The character relationships aren't fully explored
• There's an overall lack of character development

Julio Quintana helms the film as the director, and there's never any doubt that he has a clear vision for the film's trajectory.

Like many of the best sports movies based on real-life events , The Long Game is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of its genre. There is heavy material woven through the story, and the serious instances of violence and racism are treated delicately. However, The Long Game has no intentions of being a morality tale and is most concerned with the hard work and joy the characters find through each other and the game of golf. Julio Quintana helms the film as the director, and there's never any doubt that he has a clear vision for the film's trajectory.

Fast Pacing & High Energy Keeps The Long Game's Story Moving

The film rarely drags or lingers on a scene.

From the first shot, The Long Game jumps off the screen, practically begging us to leap off the couch and join in on the fun. The central group of boys is boisterous, though they have a deep affection for each other. Their dynamic, in the beginning, is endearing, and this sense of friendship and belonging within their group is an enduring aspect of the movie. Quintana understands youthful exuberance well, but the subdued resignation of JB (Jay Hernandez) is just as compelling. From the start, the audience understands that golf is more than a game to JB, it's acceptance.

While the movie is about much more than golf, the story misses the opportunity to use the game to its fullest potential as a metaphor.

Golf might be some people's favorite sport, but for many, the nuances of the game and the skills demonstrated onscreen will be lost on them. However, The Long Game grasps this and uses it to its advantage. Almost every tournament is portrayed through montage, with the film only slowing down to show particularly pivotal moments. This has its pros and cons, as it means the game of golf never has the chance to be viewed as boring by the audience, but also that none of the games carry enormous weight within the narrative.

While the movie is about much more than golf, the story misses the opportunity to use the game to its fullest potential as a metaphor. There are scenes that The Long Game gives ample time to while whizzing through dramatic climaxes between central characters. Character motivations can get lost in the story's pace, namely with Joe (Julian Works) and Frank (Dennis Quaid), the two characters who serve as foils to JB and round out the narrative. They're strong-willed and compelling men, but their internal struggles aren't clear enough. Not to mention that Joe's friends and teammates are overlooked.

The Long Game (2024)

There is an undercurrent of patriotism and militaristic pride throughout the film. While The Long Game actively grapples with what it means to be Mexican-American and how Mexicans were and still are treated as second-class citizens simply because they're not white, there is a sense that every character is proud of their country and to be American. The film is decidedly apolitical, and there's ultimately no requirement for the movie to take a stance. It's not the job of The Long Game to make a statement, and the parallels between the military and team sports mirror each other nicely.

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Though the characters are underdeveloped, the emotional impact is strong, few of the characters are fully explored, but the ending provides an uplifting climax.

Though The Long Game is just under two hours, we never get the opportunity to fully know the characters. There are hints of deeper issues that signal the characters have fully formed lives, but these moments never get more than a scene or two to develop. Some of the most egregious omissions of character development are in Lucy Peña (Jaina Lee Ortiz), JB's wife, and Daniela Torres (Paulina Chávez), Joe's girlfriend. They have definitive traits and independent desires, but they are viewed only through their connection to the men in their lives.

From the first shot, The Long Game jumps off the screen, practically begging us to leap off the couch and join in on the fun.

The three characters who are given the most time to evolve and grow, Joe, JB, and Frank, are still relative mysteries by the end of the film. One of the most compelling dynamics is that between Joe and his father, but it's explored very little onscreen. This illustrates the biggest issue with The Long Game; it attempts to tackle too much and loses strong character work in the process. In this way, the momentum of the film betrays itself. Though some energy might have been lost in exploring these relationships, it would have benefited the story.

However, the inherent universality of the narrative gives the plot strong highs and lows despite not knowing too much about the characters. If anything, it's a testament to what the film accomplishes that there's a desire to spend more time with the story. Similar to the lack of character development, questions about generational divides and assimilation are only mildly touched upon. In this way, The Long Game doesn’t push itself far enough, but ultimately, it successfully and truthfully tells the story it set out to tell and has fun along the way.

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Challengers review – Zendaya aces uproariously sexy tennis-set love triangle

Luca Guadagnino’s terrifically absorbing screwball dramedy features a devastatingly cool leading lady, Josh O’Connor on rallying form and zinging extended dialogue rallies to match

I t’s almost too good to be true. Could cinema be witnessing the birth of a stunning new mixed doubles partnership? Last year, Korean-Canadian film-maker Celine Song gave us her wonderful, Oscar-nominated debut film Past Lives , a personal love-triangle movie about a South Korean woman in the US, married to a white American writer, poignantly reconnecting with her Korean childhood sweetheart; the fictional writer, incidentally, has a novel out called Boner. Now Song’s actual white American husband Justin Kuritzkes has written this love-triangle movie, an uproarious screwball dramedy of straight sex and queer tennis: one player, incidentally, is renowned for his large penis.

Some day, film school courses will be devoted to parallel-textual analyses of these two films, and maybe the legendary third wheel will come forward with a screenplay satirising sexual stereotypes, about a woman and a man who create a sensitive drama and a macho comedy from the same situation. Challengers is terrifically absorbing and funny, with zinging extended dialogue rallies – though its cop-out ending fudges what we all know about tennis. Like life, it’s a brutal zero-sum game of winners and losers.

Luca Guadagnino directs with style and Zendaya is devastatingly cool as Tashi, a former superstar tennis player turned coach, now married to her single client: Art, played by Mike Faist, whose sensitive, open, boyish face registers the unfamiliar and disagreeable sensation of losing. He is way off his game these days, going out to patently inferior players, and Faist shows how he is perhaps getting tired of the tennis circuit, while glumly sensing that his wife finds this losing streak a serious turnoff. But fiercely focused Tashi comes up with a plan which Art timidly accepts: he will slum it on the inferior ATP Challenger Tour to match with some no-hoper whom he can crush. The taste of winning will get his groove back.

But to his horror – and a more ambiguous emotion from Tashi – Art is matched with his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend Patrick, a louchely handsome performance from Josh O’Connor . Patrick has fallen on hard times, sleeping in his car and touring the cheaper circuits, but he has still got the talent. Maybe trouncing Art will impress Tashi, with whom he is, of course, still deeply in love.

Or maybe it’s Art with whom he is still deeply in love. The course of their triangular romance and all its painful, fateful rows and infidelities are cleverly laid out in an exhilarating series of flashbacks and flashforwards, their past lives revealed in sudden hairstyle changes and clothing shifts, with Art and Patrick starting out as gormless teen chumps dazzled by Tashi, and growing near middle age … still dazzled by Tashi, who is charismatic at any age. The tennis itself is very convincingly dramatised and our three heroes really do look as if they are hitting the ball for real.

This is not the rather diffident stroke-play of Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany in the quaint, but in some ways comparable, tennis movie Wimbledon from 2004, though the gamesmanship and toxic masculinity reminded me pleasantly of Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas trying to impress Janette Scott during the famous tennis scene in the 1960 British classic School for Scoundrels. (Although Scott never encouraged Carmichael and Thomas to snog, while in their hotel room for a three-way.)

Moment by moment, line by line and scene by scene, Challengers delivers sexiness and laughs, intrigue and resentment, and Guadagnino’s signature is there in the intensity, the closeups and the music stabs.

• Josh O'Connor
• Drama films
• Comedy films
• Luca Guadagnino

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‘Challengers’ Review: Zendaya and Company Smash the Sports-Movie Mold in Luca Guadagnino’s Tennis Scorcher

Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist compete for a fellow player’s heart in a steamy and stylish love triangle from the director of 'Call Me by Your Name.'

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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Anyone who’s ever played tennis knows the game starts with love and escalates fast. In Luca Guadagnino ’s hip, sexy and ridiculously overheated “ Challengers ,” the rivals are former doubles partners Art Donaldson ( Mike Faist ) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), best friends since the age of 12, who went their separate ways after both players fell for the same woman. Patrick got there first, but Art wound up marrying her — and their sense of competition has only intensified since.

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“I’m no homewrecker,” Tashi teases Art and Patrick the night they meet her, 13 years earlier. Constructed like a tennis competition, Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay ricochets back and forth through time, asking us to pivot our brains the way audiences do at the movie’s opening challenger match. (In pro tennis, challenger events are like the minor leagues, where second-tier talents prove themselves.) This one frames the film, as Tashi seems torn between her husband and his old partner.

Watching from the stands, their legs splayed indecently wide, the pair ogle Tashi as the wind whips her short skirt up in the air. None of this is accidental: not the way Jonathan Anderson (as in J.W. Anderson, switching from catwalks to costume design in his first feature credit) showcases Zendaya’s gazelle-like legs, not the way DP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom frames the boys’ crotches, and certainly not the moment Patrick squeezes his pal’s leg as Tashi shows them how, at its most beautiful, the game can be an ecstatic experience.

Later that night, at an Adidas-sponsored party for Tashi, the guys take turns trying to get her number. They’re motivated by hormones. She’s more strategic (the sheer control involved in Zendaya’s performance is astonishing, transforming this would-be trophy into the one who sets the rules). “You don’t know what tennis is,” Tashi challenges Patrick, going on to explain, “It’s a relationship.” Lines like this, which spell everything out in blinking neon lights, run throughout Kuritzkes’ script. But Guadagnino’s execution is all about subtext, calibrating things such that body language speaks volumes.

The same goes for what promises to be the year’s hottest scene, back in the boys’ hotel room, as Tashi sits on the bed between the two and coaxes — or coaches — them to make out. “Challengers” is not a gay film per se, but it leaves things ambiguous enough that one could read it like Lukas Dhont’s recent “Close,” about a friendship so tight, the boys’ peers tease them for it.

Over the course of 131 minutes, “Challengers” volleys between what amounts to a romantic rematch and intimate earlier vignettes. At all times, even off-screen, Tashi remains the fulcrum. In the present, Art — whose torso shows signs of multiple surgeries — has been on a cold streak, which betrays a loss of passion for the game. Passion’s no problem for Patrick, who’s more confident in both his swing and his sexuality.

The film calls for intensely physical performances from the two male actors, who both appear wobbly and exhausted by the end. Faist (a Broadway star whom “West Side Story” introduced to moviegoers) has a relatively traditional character arc, patiently waiting his turn and evolving as the timeline progresses. O’Connor (whose smoldering turn in gay indie “God’s Own Country” got him cast on “The Crown”) comes across as animalistic and immature by comparison, as his bad-boy character refuses to grow up or give up.

Another filmmaker might have subtracted himself in order to foreground the story, whereas Guadagnino goes big, leading with style (and a trendy score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). In keeping with the athletic theme, he does all kinds of wild things with the camera, including a composition framed from the umpire’s perspective mid-court that zooms along the net to find Tashi in the crowd. Occasionally, she and other characters smack the fluorescent yellow balls directly at the screen, making us flinch in our seats. By the end, “Challengers” has assumed the ball’s POV — or maybe it’s the racket’s — as Guadagnino immerses audiences in the film’s climactic match.

Far from your typical sports movie, “Challengers” is less concerned with the final score than with the ever-shifting dynamic between the players. The pressure mounts and the perspiration pours, as the pair once known as “Fire and Ice” face off again. Whether audiences identify as Team Patrick or Team Art, Guadagnino pulls a risky yet effective trick, essentially scoring the winning shot himself.

Reviewed at AMC Century City 15, Los Angeles, April 9, 2024. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 131 MIN.

• Production: Amazon MGM presentation of a Why Are You Acting?, Frenesy Films, Pascal Pictures production. Producers: Amy Pascal, Luca Guadagnino, Zendaya, Rachel O’Connor. Executive producers: Bernard Bellew, Lorenzo Mieli, Kevin Ulrich.
• Crew: Director: Luca Guadagnino. Camera: Sayonbhu Mukdeeprom. Editor: Marco Costa. Music: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross. Music supervisor: Robin Urdang.
• With: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist.

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'Challengers' Review: Zendaya Gives One of Her Best Performances in This Ridiculously Horny Delight

Luca Guadagnino's latest film is a compelling love triangle story set in the world of tennis, led by a great Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor.

The Big Picture

• Challengers is a love triangle set in the world of tennis, featuring three of Hollywood's best up-and-comers.
• The film delves into the characters' pasts to explain their futures, exploring relationships and hidden scars.
• Zendaya delivers a powerful performance, while the film blends tension, sexuality, and storytelling seamlessly.

On the surface, Challengers looks like the most conventional and straightforward film of Luca Guadagnino ’s career. Coming off the horror-romance Bones and All , the coming-of-age TV miniseries We Are Who We Are , and the bonkers update of Dario Argento with Suspiria , Challengers almost seems quaint in comparison. Frankly, a love/lust triangle set in the world of tennis starring three of Hollywood’s best up-and-comers doesn’t scream “Luca Guadagnino.” However, in a way, Challengers almost feels like a throwback to Guadagnino’s pre- Call Me by Your Name work, with films like I Am Love and A Bigger Splash , which wholly relied on the dynamics between its characters, their romantic entanglements within, and the internal machinations of these characters. It’s also one of the twistiest, most compelling, and nonstop horniest films of Guadagnino’s career —which is truly saying something.

Challengers

Follows three players who knew each other when they were teenagers as they compete in a tennis tournament to be the world-famous grand slam winner, and reignite old rivalries on and off the court.

What Is 'Challengers' About?

Despite seeming like a story about a love triangle, Challengers begins with Tashi ( Zendaya ), a promising tennis player turned coach, with her husband Art ( Mike Faist ), who is a Grand Slam champion in the middle of a losing streak. To boost Art’s confidence, Tashi signs her husband up for a lower-ranking Challenger tournament (sponsored by Phil’s Tire Town, no less), thinking that a few easy wins might help him in this rut. However, also at this event is Patrick ( Josh O’Connor ), who used to be Art’s doubles partner and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. As these two compete against each other for the first time in years, we look back at what led up to this match and the relationships that still have an impact on all three of these tennis players.

Early on, Guadagnino’s camera gets extremely close to the bodies of our three characters, showing the scars that each of them wears from years of play. Tashi has a vertical scar running up her knee, while Art has several dings on his arms that we assume are from years of high-competition tennis. From there, Guadagnino pulls back the curtain to see the scars that they still have to struggle with inside , the loves, the losses, the pains, and the missed opportunities that made them who they are today. To Tashi, this might be a story about tennis and what it takes to win, but for Art, Patrick, and us, we know this is about much deeper scars that don’t heal quite as easily.

Guadagnino, working with an excellent script by Justin Kuritzkes , unfurls the past to explain the future. Challengers soon goes back thirteen years, as we see these three as exciting new athletes. Art and Patrick are best friends, even known as Fire & Ice by many, who both are drawn to Tashi’s incredible tennis gifts and her beauty. The first time they watch her play, the rest of the crowd moves their heads back and forth between players, but Art and Patrick can’t take their eyes off her. As they both set their sights on Tashi, her focus remains on tennis, and she’ll do what it takes to watch some “good fucking tennis,” as she puts it. Whether or not she’s interested in these two players, or if she wants to pit them against each other to get that “good fucking tennis” going is part of what makes Challengers so exciting to watch throughout.

'Challengers' Love Triangle Excels Because of Its Three Lead Performances

This is quite possibly Zendaya’s finest performance so far , one that allows her to be powerful, sexy, and a puppet master of sorts—all in equal measure. She knows the influence she has and utilizes it in every scene. While Art and Patrick don’t hide their intentions, clearly motivated more by what’s in their pants than their tennis skill, Tashi keeps her feelings close to the chest, and that inability to read her in most situations makes her a fascinating character to behold. As a tennis player, she knows she’s great and has her future lined up for her, but when that tremendous career is taken away from her in a moment, she employs this power in an entirely different fashion. She still has long-term goals, she just has to use manipulation and careful strategy to achieve them. In every scene, we’re right there alongside Art and Patrick, trying to decode what she’s really trying to do, and Zendaya plays this role with brilliance and grace.

It’s also a delight to see Faist and O’Connor in this form, with performances that are playful and unbelievably horny. They're so much fun to watch together in their early scenes as kids, and as we see this relationship transform over their careers, they are also able to present the complicated feelings they have towards each other and Tashi with that same level of excitement and intensity. While this is a love triangle, it’s also probably more about the love that these two share for each other, and whether or not that love is entirely platonic is up for discussion.

While You Wait for the Zendaya-led Sports Drama ‘Challengers,’ Watch This Tennis Rom-Com

These feelings for each other lead to some of the steamiest moments in a movie this year, electric and sexually charged until everyone seems like might spontaneously combust. After watching Tashi play for the first time, Art and Patrick invite her back to their shared hotel room, where we begin to see how affecting Tashi is in this relationship. Guadagnino builds the tension in these scenes, as we’re just as unsure as any of these three where this is actually going to head. We learn about this trio naturally, as they discuss their pasts while heavily flirting, while we sit on the edge of our seats wondering where this key moment in their lives is going to end up. Challengers ’ wears its overwhelming sexuality on its sleeve , as another scene has Patrick and Art sitting extremely close to each other, aggressively eating churros in each other’s vicinity—and eating each other’s churros as well. The film is so overt in its double entendres that it becomes part of the intentional humor, an unusual air that hangs over every scene.

'Challengers' Is an Excellent Mystery to Be Explored, Thanks to Luca Guadagnino and Justin Kuritzkes

Challengers , even with its twisty entanglements, could’ve been a much more straightforward affair, yet it isn’t due to the incredible filmmaking on display. Kuritzkes’ script liberally flies back and forth through time, exploring the present by expanding the future consistently. Yet Kuritzkes’ narrative never manages to get overwhelmed by this constant shifting. As we see an action within the Phil’s Tire Town Challenger that seems unusual, Kuritzkes goes back to explore the origins of that strange quirk, almost as if he’s a detective hunting for the clues to what led to this current situation. But again, this is a strength because of how seamlessly it all works, making the past and the present tie into one natural story being told.

But naturally, this wouldn’t work without Guadagnino’s careful hand and editor Marco Costa ’s incredible job at making sure this convoluted story doesn’t become too much to handle. Guadagnino knows how to build tension in every scene, whether it’s an unbearable lust that our characters can’t seem to shake, or the intensity of a tennis match where seemingly anything can happen. This is also aided by the thumping, escalating score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that builds up during the tennis scenes, while Guadagnino puts us right alongside the players, often bouncing us along like we’re the tennis ball going across the court.

This ends up feeling like a culmination of Guadagnino’s talents, all wrapped up into a film that seems like his most commercial project yet on paper. We have the absurd build in passion that we saw in something like Call Me by Your Name , mixed with the unpredictability of a film like Bones and All , and the build to a remarkable conclusion that ended Suspiria with a bang. But it’s also tied into the complicated character-focused dramas that Guadagnino began his features career with. It’s simply gratifying to watch Guadagnino combine all of his skills into this one immensely entertaining project.

Challengers is a wild love triangle story, punctuated by three excellent performances and tremendous talent behind the camera. This is a film that could’ve easily been more conventional and lascivious in its approach, yet Guadagnino's handling of Kuritzkes’ screenplay makes this into something far greater. Simply put, Challengers is quite a serve.

Luca Guadagnino's Challengers is a captivating love triangle, led by three remarkable performances, and a delightful script that almost treats this story like a mystery.

• Challengers feels like a culmination of Luca Guadagnino's talents in an immensely charming, intense, and fun film.
• Justin Kuritzkes' script blends the past and the present to expand and unravel these complicated relationships.
• Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O?Connor are a delight, with Zendaya maybe giving her best performance yet.

Challengers comes to theaters in the U.S. on April 26. Click below for showtimes.

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