New Month, A New Favorite

"Challengers" Review

May 02, 2024

I originally planned this post to be centered around sharing some of my favorite things and activities over the past few months, but since last Sunday, I’ve only had one and it’s been the movie Challengers.

Primarily set to release in the fall of 2023, Challengers was released last Friday and ever since I saw the initial teaser trailer for the movie, I was hooked, especially because Zendaya was starring as a main character and producer, and Luca Guadagnino was the director. I also knew of Josh O’Connor (Patrick Zweig) from his role as young Prince Charles in The Crown and was excited to see him take on such a different role than the King of England.

I saw Challengers last Sunday with high expectations and by the time I left the theatre, they were exceeded. The casting, cinematography, editing, and score are all phenomenal in the film, and they all piece together so well. The movie seamlessly blends the two genres of sports and romantic drama-based films into one, cohesive box office hit.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, Challengers revolves around three tennis players, Tashi Duncan, Art Donaldson, and Patrick Zweig, who all grow up to be talented athletes. The movie revolves around their love triangle of sorts, as well as their individual and combined relationships with the sport of tennis. The title Challengers is derived from the Challenger tennis match that Art and Patrick end up playing against each other. Flashbacks and flashforwards are crucial components of the plot and work to tell the story of this trio’s relationship through their teenage and adult years. Another interesting part of the movie is that the entirety of it is filmed like a tennis match in a way, where different scenes, camera angles, and shots are all formatted to mimic a match.

I can’t talk about this movie without mentioning the score, which was created by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and is full of house, funk, and synth beats that do a beautiful job of encapsulating the tension, spirits, and emotions in the movie. I did a little bit of research into their prior work as composers and found out they also made the scores for The Social Network and Soul, both of which are some of my absolute favorite movies. I truly think Challengers would have lacked in a significant manner if the score had been any different.

Costume design and fashionwear are key parts of a movie and when I found out that Jonathan Anderson, the creative director of Loewe was the costume designer for Challengers, I was infinitely more intrigued in terms of watching it. Given Guadagnino’s experience curating and directing short films for various designer brands (Dior and Fendi, to name a few), I partially knew that he would likely be able to rope in someone esteemed in the field for Challengers (and I’m so glad he did).

The most prominent (and my favorite) fashion piece in the film was the “I Told Ya” shirt worn by both Tashi and Patrick in the movie. I immediately knew where the shirt was from, as it was a piece inspired by John F. Kennedy Jr.’s exact shirt he wore in New York in the 90s. JFK Jr.’s shirt was inspired by his father’s presidential campaign, where buttons were created that printed with the slogan “I Told You So” in preparation for his 1960 inauguration. Anderson took this stylistic direction after deciding to draw inspiration from JFK Jr.’s style for Patrick Zweig’s in the movie.

JFK Jr. wearing “I Told Ya” shirt in the 90s.

Josh O’Connor in “I Told Ya” shirt on Challengers press tour.

Zendaya wearing “I Told Ya” shirt in Challengers movie.

Loewe has released an “I Told Ya” collection where they are selling shirts and sweatshirts with the slogan for a questionable price range of $330-$690.

There was no shortage of stylistic direction, as for the athletic gear and costumes in Challengers, Adidas, On Cloud, Uniqlo, and several other brands partnered with the movie production to advertise their products and clothe several characters in the movie. Tashi Duncan in particular had an Adidas campaign throughout Challengers and summed up to be a walking advertisement for many different athleticwear labels.

I also have to mention how fabulous Zendaya’s press tour looks were for Challengers. She and her stylist Law Roach did an exceptional job incorporating a running tennis theme in her outfits and just overall being the best-dressed woman in any city she was in.

Zendaya in Thom Browne for the London premiere of Challengers.

Speaking of Zendaya, her role as a co-producer in the movie has proven to be a key piece of reasoning as to why so many people were inclined to go see Challengers. Through her press tours and interviews, you can tell how proud she is of the movie and I can see little bits and pieces of her in the creative production process.

If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend you go see Challengers in theaters, I would label it as one of the best movies of 2024, and likely to be Oscar-nominated in 2025!