Tennis is an intimate game.
However many spectators and officials may be watching it’s a physical contest
between two people and Challengers, the latest from Luca Guadagnino, definitely gets that. The whole film
centres around a match in a lower rung tournament where former friends Art and
Patrick find themselves at different points in their tennis careers. Art is a
top player but on a losing run and pondering retirement, Patrick has passed his
best (partly due to his own lack of discipline) and for him these events are a
lifeline. The key connection between them is Tashi, who has dated them both but
is now married to and coaching Art. It is her idea to make him play in an event
that is really beneath his status. As the two players progress towards an invertible
final match, we are privy to flashbacks charting the oscillating three way
relationships between them over a period of thirteen years.
The dynamic unfolds in
between the rallies showing us the initial friendship between the two men who
then both fall for Tashi, herself a promising player till injury forces her to
move to being a coach. She dates Patrick but ends up marrying Art and her
pushiness over his career is perhaps driven by her own disappointment; she is
living her tennis dreams through Art. Yet her work has helped him reach the
top. Despite all this and the fact they also have a daughter, there is still a
connection with Patrick who keeps drifting
in and out of her life. And is there, too, something a little more than friendship
between Art and Patric? As players, Art is ready to work but needs Tashi to
bring out his best whereas Patrick has squandered his more natural talent with
his casual attitude to life.
All this might seem to
be lifted from the pages of a cheap romance novel where it not for the way its
presented and acted which breathes life into the tale. Luca Guadagnino has form
for igniting scenarios with a particular brand of both realism and style. Unlike
say Wes Anderson who’s poised movies seem desperate to hide emotions, Guadagnino
wants it all out there yet his film’s look just as stylish. Under his guiding
hand, tennis has never looked so exciting. He shoots the match from every conceivable
angle both to highlight the ferocity of the gameplay yet also underscore the
human emotions in the story. So, the cameras are on the court, in the player’s
faces and near the climax attached to either the racket or in one bold sequence
the ball itself! Equally he focuses on the eyes, the sweat, the strain and also
the changing demeanour of Tashi in the stands all bubbling into a stew. The
film avoids all the sports movie cliches that clutter other examples and
focuses down on our trio and the game with the determination of a player.
The wildcard is the pounding electronic soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus
Ross. This does sometimes intrude on dialogue (which may be deliberate) but
adds a palpable tension to the action which mixes well with the sharpness of
the balls being slammed. At first it seems an odd choice yet as the narrative progresses
starts to make perfect sense and you feel this is what they should use every
summer to spice up the Wimbledon coverage.
The director has also
selected a trio of amazingly talented actors – Zendaya’s Tashi seems as
ruthless with her personal life as she does with her coaching and deploys an
array of scowls and looks that convey her feelings. Josh O’Connor is terrific
as the self-centred, smirking, and roguish Patrick gifted the film’s best
journey he runs with it. With a less flashy role Mike Faist still triumphs especially
in subtly drawing a distinction between the younger hungrier Patrick and the
worn out later player. All three appear to have mastered tennis as well; while
doubles were used in some of the shots, the actors are often clearly on court
giving it some racket and pin sharp editing does the rest.
The run time is a
little long and sometimes the viewer will wonder why Tashi makes some of the decisions
she does but the conclusion is perhaps that all three of them are infatuated
with each other in different ways. Challengers is like watching masters
at work on and off court in a kinetic, taut and engrossing three way
match.
The Fall Guy is a breezy film very
loosely based on the 80s tv show. Cole Seavers is one of Hollywood’s top
stuntman till an accident sidelines him for eighteen months and he ends up as a
valet. Then he is suddenly called back, apparently at the behest of his former girlfriend
Jodey Moreno who is directing her first film with a sci fi epic called `Metalstorm`.
Only it’s not a simple as that; when he gets to set Cole discovers that the film’s
star Tom Ryder has vanished and he has to track him down before Jodey finds out. Yes,
it’s an odd plot- and don't expect it to get any more believable. Instead just sit back and enjoy terrifically entertaining
and frequently funny results. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt sizzle with on screen
chemistry and comedic timing especially in the film’s funniest scene in which
they use the film analogies to express personal feelings in front of the entire
crew.
The film is also a
tribute to real stuntmen who risk much to thrill us and so naturally it contains
plenty of jaw dropping examples notably what is apparently a world record car
roll. Its also packed with knowing callouts to well known films while the feature
they are making is an OTT sci-fi epic featuring dialogue so cheesy it could be
served on toast. The Fall Guy is also laced with aural homages from that noise the Six
Million Dollar Man made when launching into his run to a musical motif from
Dune. There’s probably a lot you’ll miss in fact this could be the film’s
one weakness. It is so relentlessly busy that after a while you may feel over
stuffed with bangs and flashes and fights. Nonetheless it is definitely an
adrenaline fuelled cinema experience.
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