Challengers - Review
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- čas přidán 26. 04. 2024
- Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist have a messy, complicated relationship across over a decade in director Luca Guadagnino's latest messy drama.
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Totally true that this is being a bit mismarketed. There was actually not a sex scene in the movie. Nothing onscreen goes beyond kissing. We do, on the other hand, get a LOT of tennis. Great film.
Those evil previews KEPT Zendaya fans from seeing this film in the numbers they would have gone to see it if she were portrayed more wholesomely. People, in general, do not go to movies to see the bad guy. Someone was deliberately sabotaging Zendaya with those previews. And I am not as shocked as I would have been had we not all heard that evil, biased studio exec deliberately trying to destroy Jaden Smith's opportunities AFTER he was so brilliant in making KARATE KID the great success that he did. SMH Hollywood needs to stop that evil bigotry. And now it's all hands on deck for the faltering industry in part because they did not support the best from All Quarters, when they could have and should have.
I honestly disagree
There are kisses and then there are kisses like in this movie. I’d say the sense of eroticism here is higher than in many other movies that have outright sex scenes.
Marketing offices would shill “Pride & Prejudice” as “Mad Max: Fury Road” if they thought it would sell more tickets 🙄
Damnit. Now I want a Mad Max Pride & Prejudice.
@@SimonBuchanNz that’s just Mad Max Fury Road but if Max and Furiosa had a romance though
@@hakasims I must be remembering either Mad Max or P&P badly!
@@SimonBuchanNz I mean, the bare bones of P&P is two people’s mutual antipathy because they judged each other before they truly got to know one another, but when they spend more time together they realize the other person is actually awesome. Add to that the oppressive circumstances of the deeply unequal patriarchal society they exist in - and voila!
@@SimonBuchanNz 😅🤣😂
Luca understands what so many filmmakers and audiences don't: A movie does not REQUIRE sex or even nudity to be erotic. You need a good script and actors with chemistry, or you have nothing. The old movies from the forties understood that and hopefully more filmmakers will get that as a way to work around how...prudish film audiences have become these days.
also in the forties and before, they often couldn't show sex or nudity (different times), so they had to work with what they had. similar how special effects were made differently before the technology of CGI came along. if you have to, you will be creative and find ways.
They couldn't show it cause of the Hays code. The Code where homosexuality was outlawed. Stop giving praise to an era that was hindered by puritanism.
@@NA86737 The praise isn't towards the hays code, it's more about how directors and writers were creative to get around those restrictions and create interesting art. Current filmmakers and studios don't have those restrictions but are making more and more sterile looking movies in the vein of Disney movies.
@@NA86737 But a lot of filmmakers found ways around it. That's the impressive thing more filmmakers should try, is what I am saying.
@@Priyovizion which with Luca is hilarious when one of his first films was an erotic drama bordering on porn with Italian misogyny on display.
I like how when there is an awkward scene, they would drown it out with techno music 😂
good techno music*
Precisely! 😂
I didn’t like the is movie. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it. It felt like it didn’t know what it wanted to be and it was less than the sum of its parts for me. And also the ending just made me completely head tilt. Also the score and the non-linear storytelling didn’t work for me in this film either, it just felt unnecessary and unearned. Lots of potential and lots of good stuff, but just didn’t work for me.
Dan's subtle passive aggressive nod to the baby made this old chap chuckle 😉
Saw this yesterday. I loved how it portrays the drama of a tennis match; I felt the effort every time a ball was hit. And at one point we are given the viewpoint of the tennis ball as it is hit back and forth! Masterful.
I agree with the portrayal of the drama of a tennis match! Also found the different camera angles interesting. But following the ball made me feel dizzy 🥴
You’re missing the point of the film. The point is how high the stakes are for the tennis match- as the film progresses and we learn the backgrounds of each character, we learn how important the tennis match is to each character. ‘Feeling the effort’ everytime the ball is hit isn’t the point
"I think that sometimes you can disagree with the way a movie portrays something and not write the movie off entirely". Right on
Just seen it. One thing I noticed while processing it is how the trailer is a little detrimental to setting expectations. Mainly with how it portrays Zendaya's character. I struggled to connect with Tashi because I was waiting for a piece to fall into place that didn't exist. In reality the film leaves you looking back and forth between all the characters, wondering which one you should be rooting for, until you realise that it's more about understanding the relationships of flawed characters than anyone winning (at tennis or love). And once I understood the role of tennis in that relationship paradigm, the puzzle pieces make a lot more sense.
This movie is being marketed as a sports sex romp and it's not. It's a complex look at people and the sport they excel in. It's unfortunate that the studio went this route cause the movie deserved better. It will open big this weekend but fall flat on its face which is not a fate this film deserved.
I agree to an extent, but I didn't comprehend the confusing trailer and went to see it simply because there was bugger-all else to watch. I found it too choppy and confusing, I understand the characters were human and flawed but it was a hard slog to watch, and ultimately not a film I would recommend to others.
I guess the challengers challenged you too much @uncle-pete
@@joshcapwell8891 well slither my dithers
@@freddyfeliciano4468it’s been holding on pretty well! Especially for something pretty mismarketed
The marketing is indeed misleading in setting expectations. The finished film FAR surpasses them.
Hubby and I just had a baby 3 months ago and we've been taking turns going to the theater precisely to avoid being that couple Dan joked about! 😂 Can't wait to see Challengers.
I don’t have children, but I am all for couple going to the movies with their babies. Don’t feel like you can’t go out together with you new baby! 🩶 it’s fine.
@@karenclaudino It annoys the living Christ out of every other paying attendee. It absolutely is NOT fine.
Petition for movie theaters to have a daycare lol
@@leonkuwata4510the one time I was cool with it was the couple purposely got bad seats right next to the exit so if the baby made noise they immediately left the theater! Was it a little annoying, yes but wasn’t to bad compared to other showings I’ve been in with children
My local theater used to have a "Crybabies Matinee" where people were allowed to bring strollers. I saw Deadpool for a second time at a Crybabies Matinee, thinking that nobody would be crazy enough to bring their baby to Deadpool. Boy, was I wrong.
There were two very very young children when I saw Civil War. Like younger than 10. I couldn’t believe it…
YES WHIPLASH MENTION!!! What I was thinking all the way through especially how it ends..my exact wording was this is like a romantic whiplash
Although I never met her, likely never will, but I can't help but keep rooting for Zendaya and feel proud of her career so far. Sounds like she has another brave choice and winner in her filmography.
I feel the same way you do! I don’t think I’ll ever stop rooting for her. I don’t think the movie was absolutely horrible, but I guess I’m just disappointed in her lack of emotion? Her lack of range? I saw Dune 2 a couple weeks ago- the exact same expressions. I understand the “mid” and the “overrated” comments, unfortunately. I would like to see more from her!
This is a spot on review. The music was too much for me at times also. I think Josh O'Connor really shines in this film, highly recommend it.
Also, a note - don't bring your baby to the movies, doesn't matter what time of day it is. As the great Tom Segura said, "if you can't find a babysitter, then guess what? You ain't going to the movies". No sympathies, you chose to procreate and now you get to make sacrifices for the next two decades. Just wait 5 years and then the movie theater is ready to welcome back the whole brood with open-ish arms
Some theatres have “Mom and tot” screenings specifically intended for people with infants. They are usually morning or mid-day.
can you even bring a baby to an r rated film? also theaters are quite loud for babies i don't see why ppl would
The ultimate callback at the end was SO good.
I completely agree. Such a good moment. I wanted to cheer in the theater.
Everything is tennis and tennis is everything. Just watched and was very presently surprised at the layers of the characters, you never really know who to root for . Also the final tennis scene set to Trent Reznor just going sega Dreamcast is my new Dual of the Fates.
I'm obsessed with this movie
Why? I just saw it and felt like everything was fantastic besides the script.
@@ApexBeyonder Really? I thought it was very well-written.
I saw and I think it’s a masterpiece! Loved it!❤
great review as always dan! saw it last night and loved it.
Thanks for the review Dan!
DoubleToasted also pointed out the misleading marketing. You could do a whole list for the most misleading trailers. I nominate It Comes at Night
Not sure what's worse, that or trailers that spoil the whole movie (looking at you Abigail)
I really enjoyed that film, but yah not sure why it was so heavily sold as the scariest movie you will ever see.
i thought this was a good film with excellent performances, i found the photography distracting, i really didn't need a racket's eye view of the match, or to be bounced around the screen from the viewpoint of the ball. i liked the techno music score found it elevated the tension when it needed to. but found it over used at some points.
LOVED it!
its true that all I knew of this movie leading up to the release is that scene on the bedroom with the 3 of them, it seems that that has been every publicity photo released.
The review I’ve been waiting for.
I was expecting Dan’s review to be glowing, but his comments on distracting audio and visual elements are fair! Film critic Alonso also noted in his 10/10 review that some shots in this film were putting a hat on a hat, and I did feel that in the theatre. Still, this was a masterpiece in my book
So good! I'm ready to watch it again! 🙌💕 Luca Guadagnino is the GOAT!
Does anyone know what Dan is talking about with the harmful portrayals of Men's Mental Health in this movie? I just came out of it and I don't recall any conversations about mental health or characters downplaying their depression. The movie felt more like a story arc exploring 3 people's really tense, passionate, but ultimately pretty messed up dynamics. It didn't feel like what either of these guys were going through or what Zendaya was putting them through was "a good thing."
The music is the characters' pent up frustration/ anger/ desire so the fact it overwhelms at times worked for me. It's the entire point and it's what fuels the film with its tention and energy.
i thoroughly loved this film. I found the music, especially the digital music to be used masterfully as a leitmotif for whenever one of them was considering 'bad' things. what a ride that was
I might actually check out Challengers now that I’ve watched this review! I was not interested in watching a toxic love triangle but it seems to run deeper than that which is exciting!
It would be interesting for the home video release to follow “Memento” and offer us the option to watch this non-linear film chronologically as a way of contrasting the storytelling
The comment about the couple with the baby is very funny to me cos I am currently on maternity leave and my local cinema (shout out Reading Biscuit Factory!) does Baby+1 screenings. It was an absolute treat to be able to watch Poor Things in prep for the Oscars, Back to Black made for an interesting outing with other mums...only The Zone of Interest was maybe a poor choice to watch with several potential screaming babies in the room (still impactful though!)
Ive been hearin so many interesting takes on this movie I have to see it for myself.
That star/super nova line reminded me of Mara, hope you both are doing well!!
great video dan
The problem these days is that people put too much stock on trailers. There’s trailer reaction; trailer analysis; trailer discussion, etc., and we judge the merit of the product based on its advertisement. That’s like judging a mattress, towels, or a pair of running shoes solely based on their ads. They’re commercials, people. They’re supposed to manipulate you. Don’t put too much stock on them, and don’t judge the product based on them.
2x this month already. This movie and Civil War
This is the exact reason why I avoid trailers as much as I can. If I know I'm going to watch a movie coming out, I will mute, block and shut my eyes at every chance I will to make sure I can go into the theatre with the least amount of information possible. A movie I'm unsure about I'll usually watch a small segment of a trailer to decide on it, and that's what I did with this movie actually. I agree with Dan that they marketed this movie so much more raunchy that it was, to get maybe the Euphoria fans interested? I dunno. I saw tennis and went "okay I'll watch it!". I heard Civil War had a similar misdirect and I'm very glad I didn't watch anything about it before I saw it, otherwise I definitely would have gone in expecting a different movie. I still enjoyed both movies in the end.
That's more of a failure on the advertiser than it is the consumer. It's not the consumers job to try just every product willy nilly, that's how you go broke. It's the advertisers job to convince you to spend your time and money
Was mostly avoiding the trailer for this but that throuple bedroom scene got meme’d to fuck and was everywhere so was kinda hard to avoid
@@MarvelousMusicmmusic2nd this, very true. That said, the 3x scene got people’s attention, alot for the worse imo including me
Excellent review!! ✨👏👏👏👏 I was going to pass in view of the advertising you so well described, but I am rather curious now also and a bit of a Josh O' Connor fan, so it's a yes! Thanks!
There was only one other person in the theater with me & he yelled out in enjoyment when the 3 some started. I found it very strange.
Very intriguing movie. Cool review.
Dan, you are my most trusted movie reviewer.
That score is amazing to me by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
I go major sega tennis game vibes.
Hey Dan, are you going to do a summer box office prediction video?
Dan, PLEASE watch and review Luca Guadadnino’s 2018 Suspiria remake!!
Please!! I was looking forward to your review of it in 2018 but you never got around to it. It gives Hereditary a run for its money.
Thank you 🙏
I felt like it had a Whiplash feel to it as well, but it didn't strike me quite as devastatingly. I also felt the same about the score and the time jumps. They kind of took me out of some crucial scenes. Overall, though, I liked it.
I really liked the soundtrack, but at times it seemed to overshadow what was happening in the movie which was a negative. However overall this is a really good movie about flawed, but interesting individuals.
Marketing knew exactly what it was doing
Love-Love-Love 🎾
Without having seen it... I feel like a pitch for a Honest trailer variation on the title is "the three body problem"
Oh, I get it. Because there’s three people in it.
@@Gpob89 🤣 I know it's not super clever! But more about the fact that it's an unbalanced system where one of the bodies will undoubtedly be expelled from the system.
More of a hunch about the movie... I'm watching it tomorrow so no idea
Love, advantage, doubles. 😂 I get it.
I'm glad those who liked this movie liked it, but it didn't work for me. The toxicniss of how everyone treated each other was a big letdown for me. Trailer got me excited for movie that was going to be something different than a comic movie, but it was a letdown for me
I don't know Dan, I think Art and Patrick genuinely care about each other and love both playing tennis together and competing against each other, having come up out of the same academy.
While Tashi cares about tennis ONLY, and sees it in the binary of winners and losers. She will only shit talk about other players, and I think it was pretty clear she was on a rather dark path that her injury exasperated. Honesty got the feeling the main reason she got married and had a daughter was for the PR.
She spends almost no time with her child and lives vicariously through her husband. Worst fear is when Art retires she’ll push her daughter into tennis and restart the cycle
its a drama triangle. they'll be someone childish, they'll be someone trying to save the childish one, and they'll be a firey asshole
I think some of the backlash is the movie plays more to a European audience and is marketed as a spunky Cutting Edge but with three on the hard courts. This is not some simple game set match straight up movie. Going to guess international box office will do better than domestic.
Faist’s voice sounding like Matthew Rhys’ was a little distracting.
you are very very close to the correct pronunciation of the director's surname: the "gn" sound should be a syllabe before: guada>gn
Non dirglielo, si offenderà e risponderà che siamo troppo pignoli sulla pronuncia come ha fatto con un altro commento
how often do you travel for work? I feel as if every other video you’re in a hotel room
Are you going to do your top 10 summer box office predictions this year?
I felt like at times the movie needed to let scenes breathe.
It might be too late to mention as it’s already being withdrawn from imax screens but I’m not so sure it was that much better in imax. Saw it in liemax. Not true imax.
I cannot stand zendaya. She can't act so not a watch for me.
I loved the music, but i agree it was very distracting sometimes. Overall it was a really good movie.
Okay....where do I get one of those ALIEN poster/lamps that is on the shelf in the background? Jack Lalane wants to know.
Interesting you mentioned camp. I was taught there are two types of camp in filmmaking, naive and intentional. I thought this film was the former.
Loved your review. Very well said. I loved the movie. I think this is one of Luca's best, for sure. Excited to see how it does next award season.
What is your outro song?? I need it
At some point this film reminded me a "shallow grave" cuz of techno. I really thought that it would turn into thriller
Can someone tell me what the Chekhov's gun is in the movie? Saw it last night and somehow not placing it. Thank you!
I have the same question !
It is serving the ball in the special position to show one another if they had sex. It takes place twice in the film
@user-ye1sl4sd4g ah thank you! I did notice that, but didn't make the connection to that being the Chekhov's gun
Loooved this one. The music/editing made this thing stand out like crazy - Zendaya also crushed it. Big W for sexy tennis fans
Howdy Dan
As a dr, can I say, if u have night sweats or chills, go for a consult. Not new bed sheets
Another movie that I would love to see in theaters, but probably can't due to money and time.
I hope this one does well because I want to see more character driven dramas make a big comeback in theaters
Yeah, the music cues were sometimes bizarre and distracting. I wasn't sure if it was just my theater's sound mix or what, but it definitely undercut some scenes. I'm also not sure if I'm totally onboard with the flashback narrative structure. I'm curious to see how this would have played in a more linear fashion. The marketing got me so this may be a cause of my expectations not being properly calibrated, but I walked out thinking that while it had its moments, overall I felt like I constantly playing catch up to understand what was going on so it was just fine for me. This is not this generation's CRUEL INTENTIONS. haha
I need Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to do the score for Tron 3.
Loved it
While the music was cool for a while, it got really grating towards the end. Maybe I’m just becoming a curmudgeon
I'm really glad your reviewed this because the movie trailers were giving a "Y Tu Mama Tambien" for the American teen vibe for me. This review definitely helped actually define what the movie is.
I'm going to see this because it's about Tennis!
The way that this movie ends, I thought was amazing lol. If there are people watching this review that haven’t seen it yet all I’ll say is that it has something to do with a tennis ball and racket. It took me a minute to realize what had happened. This movie was a thrill ride through and through.😅
To me the final minutes were about a throuple getting back together.
Happy for those little freaks lol!
@@travisspazz1624 that is certainly something that I caught onto as well and especially with how Zendaya ends it off it certainly seemed that way
The movie was so irritating to me lol
Did they put the tennis ball in her butt and the handle of the racket in her mouth?
@@cdoyle5627 nah you’re thinking of the porno version of this movie
Never wanted to be a churro so bad.
Kudos to Dan for reviewing movies other than genre stuff. Too much of CZcams is filled with people reviewing the same superhero flicks, often with the same opinions (look at how many videos trash Rebel Moon Part 2, Electric Boogaloo). Dan knows that there's a lot more out there.
i actually stopped the trailer prolly a 1/4 way through it. i knew this was one to go in blind for.
Dan: this movie isn’t as erotic as the trailers look.
Me: Challenge(rs) accepted!
This film can also be seen as 2 toxic people torturing a champion into retirement to fuel their ego by making an actual good player give up and even hate the sport that built his life and eventually they fail. Yes Art "stole" patrick's gf but they were like 20 years old and patrick himself said that their competition makes him excited(aroused). Tashy is in love only with tennis and herself, repeatedly cheating on her husband for litterally no reason in Atalanta, I think the film only implies thay she got depressed when she saw that the girl she destroyed in the match we see her play has a great carrier, but no reason to cheat your loving husband that did everything to make you part of his success(how many times have you seen coaches being as represented in ads as the player like we see in the movie?) and it is also implied that their daugher is patrick's, she loves seeing two tennists compete for her like it is a match but she doesn't care for them. Patrick is a shit player with a wacky playstyle that works only with 16 years olds indeed as a professional he never achieved anything and got stuck on tashy just to fuck the champ wife and loves seeing her lying to herself when she said she would have sex with him for Art's win, that was a lie and they both know that, she wanted to fuel their competition and accepts training him even though he is old just to screw her husband since with her fame she could have gone with a younger or better player for sure. Art spent 10 years of his life playing for the happiness of his wife(making her living her dream through him)and when he injured himself and went on a losing streak he saw that tashy didn't love him as a person but as a player and when he has confirmation of her cheating(both in Atlanta and in the present) he wanted to play because he likes it that's why he hugs his "friend" because he let him see the truth and reignite the love for the sport. In my headcanon Art left his wife and didn't drop his carrier that year, patrick keeps being patrick for a couple of years and tashy just went doing her coaching stuff with kids probably since we see that the only person she treats like a human is her daughter.
Great film.
People keep saying the trailer is misleading? I never went into this movie thinking it is a movie about sex, but tennis. I guess the wider audience usually don't see 3 people making out... hahaha...
There’s a script floating around for Challengers that I read and I was surprised to see that it was very similar to what ended up on screen EXCEPT there was no threesome scene. I wonder if it was added in a later draft when more people had gotten their hands on it? Interesting that the scene the movie was marketed on might not have been part of the original pitch?
The director came up with the threesome scene and worked on it with the writer. I heard the writer talking about it on a podcast.
100% agree about the music. The weak link in an otherwise solid film. My jaw dropped at THAT Chekhov's Gun moment. Expertly done.
The music was jarring and not mixed in well at all. Effect was cool, but I wish there was an edit of the film that cut it. Or have it come in softly and rise as the dialogue goes on
The trailers pitches this movie to me (a huge tennis fan) as 3 super fit / young / skinny tennis stars are training to compete with each other off and on court, mixed with romantic / sexual affairs amongst them. Those 3 actors have intense chemistry with each other, but none actually plays tennis. I cannot tell what is the actual drama / plot line of this movie, and am not interested in the pitch.
I LOVED this. My favorite movie of the year so far
If the vibe is similar to Whiplash, I will pass. I didn't finish Whiplash because there was no reprieve from Simmons' abuse.
Zendaya and sex sold the movie most people I knew didn’t know the movie was about tennis when they went to see it.
What? How could you not know the movie was gonna be about tennis? 🤔
The Chekhov’s gun moment in this movie is one of the greatest of all time. You’ll know it when you see it.
EDIT: posted this before he mentioned it aswell 😂
We surprisingly really enjoyed this movie. It was really well written with flawed characters that made it fun to watch. It was a fun drama to watch.
mike is also tony nominated ☺
And BAFTA.
And BAFTA.
I found Challengers to be very disappointing, particularly after seeing so many enthusiastic reviews. Boring, pretentious script about three unlikeable characters, I didn't root for any of them. The only thing I really enjoyed was the score - it's pulsating and energizing, it worked for me.
Ok, I agree with Dan most of the time but I think on this one I must have watched a different movie. What I saw was a badly written, badly filmed movie with absolutely no interest. It felt like one of those After movies, less steamy but just as bad. I am clearly missing something here but it's a big miss for me.
Gen X memory unlocked...😏
Challengers last week and civil war before that have been two excellent weeks for good movies that really need to be seen in theaters