Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Challengers review says the film has a promising premise, but one major fault blows the whole match.

Months before it came out, Challengers became known as the much anticipated “Zendaya tennis movie.” That’s fair, because she really is the most prominent (and well known) presence in the film.

But it will also help viewers to know that it’s the latest film from director Luca Guadagnino, who also helmed Call Me by Your Name, starring Timothée Chalamet, and the cannibal love story Bones and All, also starring Chalamet.

If you’re a fan of his work, you’ll probably like Challengers a lot better than I did.

Told through incessant flashbacks, Challengers is basically the story of a love triangle set in the world of championship tennis. Tashi (Zendaya), is at the apex of the triangle, and the base is made up of classmates Art (Mike Faist, whom we loved as Rif in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor who received much deserved critical acclaim playing a young Prince Charles in The Crown).

In truth, Tashi loves tennis more than she loves either one of these men, and she makes life changing decisions about all of them at different times in her life. Make no mistake, Tashi always has the upper hand.

Challengers Review — The major fault

So why does she look like everyone’s kid sister? While Zendaya has been extraordinary playing teens and young adults—think Rue in Euphoria, Chani in Dune and MJ in a few Spiderman movies—she simply doesn’t have the physical or emotional gravitas to pull off the portrayal of a world class tennis player turned world class tennis coach and international celebrity athlete.

Picture lean and lithesome Zendaya across the net from Venus or Serena Williams. You just can’t buy them in the same league. It’s like a kitten taking on a panther. Sure, her body is beautiful as is, and we see some fabulous, exposing shots of it in the film. As a ballet dancer she would have been convincing. As a tennis champ, she is not.

Developing some deeper definition, both of body and character, would have helped. She’s believable as a babysitter, but not as a mother. Girlfriend, yes. Aggressive coach, no.

This is not to say that Zendaya isn’t a supremely talented actress. It’s just so say that she was miscast and misdirected.

Now the movie does have some nice plot twists, sporadic kinetic energy, a surprising score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, plus plenty of “Don’t go there/Please go there” moments.

But if I can’t buy the lead,

I can’t buy the movie.

Rated R

2 Hours 11 Minutes

If, after reading this review, you’re in the mood to sprint over to the cineplex and see it, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Challengers review says the film has a promising premise, but one major fault blows the whole match.