NEW YORK (AP) — How sexy can a qualifying tennis tournament in New Rochelle, New York, be? When the on-court drama involves Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, the answer turns out to be quite a bit more than your average USTA singles match in Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.”
The film, directed by Guadagnino from a script by playwright Justin Kuritzkes, may have the appearance of a sports movie. Much of the action happens in between baselines. There are break points and short shorts. But in Guadagnino’s film, what’s being volleyed isn’t just a fuzzy little yellow ball.
“The ball is the ephemeral, invisible force of desire,” says Guadagnino, the director of “Call Me By Your Name” and “Bones and All.” “I wanted to show desire going back and forth.”
The result, by a score of about six-love, is the love triangle of the year. “Challengers,” which Amazon MGM Studios releases in theaters Friday, takes the melodrama of the threesome and gives it a breathless, bi-curious spin. That’s especially due to the multilateral chemistry between Zendaya, O’Connor and Faist — all actors in their late 20s or early 30s, all very capable of smoldering when called upon.
Mistrial declared in case of Arizona rancher accused of murdering Mexican migrant on his land
At least 13 people are killed and an estimated 15,000 displaced by flooding in Kenya
Brazil court says government must compensate victims of stray bullets in police raids
Pakistani police search for gunmen who abducted bus passengers and killed 10 in the southwest
Athens skies turn an orange hue with dust clouds from North Africa
Chile will ask Venezuela to extradite citizens suspected of killing an anti
US and Philippines step up strategic partnership as China threats loom in South China Sea
Pentagon set to send $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine once bill clears Senate and Biden
Chaldean patriarch returns to Baghdad after nine months of self
Richmond Mayor Stoney drops Virginia governor bid, he will run for lieutenant governor instead
How a hush money scandal tied to a porn star led to Trump’s first criminal trial