Tag: tennis

CHALLENGERS – Review

This weekend brings a unique hybrid, a mixing of genres that has happened in the past but is somewhat rare. Perhaps it’s because one of the genres is the sports movie, more specifically tennis. Yes, there have been a couple of prominent films within the last couple of years, though they were “inspired by true stories”, mainly the Oscar-winning KING RICHARD and the humorous, but “for reals”, BATTLE OF THE SEXES. This new flick is pure fiction, though gleaned from recent players, and it’s also (the other genre) a dramatic love story. Oh, and this is the big selling point for the studio, it’s a true “love triangle”, as two male tennis “hotshots” share a passion for the game and the same woman. So, in the sport and the romance, these two are truly motivated CHALLENGERS.

In the film’s opening moments, we get a few short “flashes” of the big “showdown” of the “racketeers”. Then suddenly the story shifts back to a few days prior at the somewhat “minor” tennis tournament sponsored by a chain of retail automobile tire stores, not in Forest Hills, but in New Rochelle New York (being a classic TV fan I wondered if the venue was near Rob and Laura Petrie’s old house). That’s the destination for fading tennis ace Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). Yes, he’s had a rough last few months as he just can’t get “in the groove”. His wife/trainer/agent Tashi (Zendaya) knows this and believes her hubby can begin the climb back to the top with this smaller tourney (less pressure and press). Also arriving for the event is tennis “outsider” Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) who tries to charm his way into a nearby motel because his cards are maxed out. He also believes this gig could be his ticket back into the “big time” if he can “hype up” a match with his former partner/pal now rival Art. And soon we’re flashing much further back to when those two were doubles partners at a big tennis bout for college-aged athletes. Art and Patrick have their fans, but all eyes there are on the court “phenom” Tashi. The fellas also are “caught in her wake”. And somehow she drops in at their messy hotel room for a few beers and some “sexy time”. Eventually, Tashi and Patrick become a “power couple” until a devastating injury sidelines her. Art then swoops in for some TLC which leads to marriage and a sweet baby girl (now an adorable toddler). But with Patrick back in their lives will Tashi return to her former “bad boy”? When Patrick and Art finally face off in the big match much more than the trophy and prize money are at stake…

As the driving force in the story (and the film itself, as a producer) Zendaya gives Tashi a commanding “take charge” persona, knowing the exact words needed to say to the two pros to achieve her goals. Unfortunately, this costs much of Tashi’s humanity after seeing her as the vibrant almost ethereal muse in the earliest flashback. But Zendaya conveys Tashi’s heartbreak as she must turn her back on playing in the sport she dearly adores, which perhaps fuels those ambitions for Art. Faist, terrific in WEST SIDE STORY and the little-seen PINBALL: THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME, is the more passive of the trio, though he gives us a hint of his own aggression nature in the montage of his career downturn. Faist also shows us Art’s slow dissolution in his downcast eyes as he hands his future tennis glory over to his wife. This is also in contrast to that early scene in which he has a pure love for the court and its fabulous princess, or is she the queen? Well, the slithering “snake” in their Eden might be O’Connor has the desperately opportunistic Patrick. The “gravy train” has almost passed him by, and we see that he’s running to hop about the back of its caboose. While Art is headed toward “the rocks”, Patrick is trying to avoid crashing again. This is best shown by O’Connor as he tries to use his considerable charm and charisma to grab a motel room and to schmooze info, and a prized spot, from the event staff. He’s also compelling in his early days as he shows us that his affection for Art nearly matches his desire for Tashi (and he wonders what might have been with her). This is quite a talented trio in this film.

They’re guided by director Luca Guadagnino (BONES AND ALL), who indeed gets their best work. It’s just a shame that his storytelling choices thwart the performances, making their motivations as confusing as the timelines, which is needlessly convoluted (the tennis match appears to be quite a marathon. The tennis is shot fairly well, although the CGI tennis balls rocketing towards the camera grows stale (I image it in 3D), and his “homage’ to Hitchcock’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Tashi stares straight ahead while everyone’s following the ball). But that’s not as intolerable and just plain annoying as the decision to disrupt scenes with a thumbing techno-pop score so loud that the dialogue is nearly incomprehensible. Really, you don’t want us to hear your actors? After this audio assault, we’re visually “drenched” by the long lingering shots of the players dripping sweat directly into the camera lens. The film’s marketers are highlighting the big hotel room tryst with the trio, but it occurs briefly in the first third of the film. Granted, there’s a raw “naughty” energy to it, that’s never matched by the remaining ninety or so minutes. There could be a compelling movie about these characters whose lives and careers are so interconnected, but Guadgnino just sabotages all the pacing and drama to go into “artsy-distraction” (I so wanted to use the rhyming “f” word there). In trying to delve into the world of this trio and of the grittier side of the sport, moviegoers will be truly challenged by the messy mechanics of CHALLENGERS.

2 out of 4

CHALLENGERS is now playing in theatres everywhere

KING RICHARD – Review

As we close in another year at the cinema, it’s time for another entry in a genre that’s usually a true “awards magnet”. Why it’s another movie biography, but it’s not in the “show biz” sub-category like JUDY or ROCKETMAN or even the upcoming BEING THE RICARDOS. This is a sports-themed “biopic” (so the upcoming Kurt Warner one will have a bit of company at the multiplex) about the tennis phenom sisters Venus and Serena. And since they’re true super-heroes on the courts, you could say it’s their “origin story”. Yet, the duo isn’t the prime focus of the flick. That’s why its title is the nickname of their “papa with a plan”, the tough taskmaster referred to as KING RICHARD.

It all begins in the early 1990s, as Richard Williams (Will Smith) piles his kids into his rickety minivan and takes them to the public park not far from the mean streets of Compton, California. He and the kids take over a tennis court, where he coaches his future stars, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). The younger kids fetch the tennis balls as the eldest sister tries to study while avoiding the jeers of local hoods. Daddy tries to shoo them away, with little success (and some new bruises). They’re soon back home with mama ‘Brandy’ (Aunjanue Ellis) for dinner as papa heads out to his job as a night watchman at a retail mall. The sisters hone their skills as Richard formulates a plan for success. First, they need a top coach, so they head over to an upscale club to “ambush” top trainer Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), who agrees to work with Venus for free, while a sad Serena continues her training with dad. As the awards and trophies pile up, Richard decides it’s time to “step up”, and convinces tennis coaching whiz Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) to fly in and look at the sisters in action. This prompts an offer for relocation, to Rick’s training camp tennis center in Orlando, Florida (he’ll provide them with a house against a cut of future earnings and endorsements). Over the next few months, Richard will clash with Rick along with his wife Brandy, while never losing sight of what’s best for the family and steering his daughters away from the pitfalls of superstardom.

Happily this role comes along to remind us of Smith’s superb acting skills in probably his best work since 2015’s CONCUSSION. Sometimes we forget this when the screens are filled with his big action thrillers or “star concepts” (a live-action ALADDIN was…meh), but when there are no stunts or effects to distract, Smith can truly move us. As Richard, we soon accept him as this every day “working stiff’ who is reaching for that “brass ring” while almost falling into an abyss of despair. At the story’s start he almost seems a male-version of the “stage mother’, or worse the “sidelines dad coach, though Richard will not sacrifice his angels at the altar of success. But he’s no saint, and Smith plays him as ill-tempered and stubborn, yet we know he’s just looking out for the family. Smith captures all the complexities of this very flawed, family man. Luckily he’s got some great co-stars to “butt heads with”. Ellis is the maternal “rock” that will not be budged by papa when he gets too “full of himself” (oh, when she “lays done the law” in their Orlando kitchen…whew). Then we’ve got movie and TV “tough guy” Bernthal playing against his “type’ as the often flustered Macci who tries to be the “good cop” to Richard by lulling him with humor and logic. Bernthal’s an endearing motor-mouthed cheerleader in an energetic performance. He’s nearly the opposite of Goldwyn as the no-nonsense Cohen who can’t quite shout over Richard. And kudos to both Sidney and Singleton for capturing the ups and downs of sister relations while making the big physical scenes look convincing and quite believable.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green juggles the many dramatic and comedic sequences in the script (written by Zach Baylin) with subtlety and confidence. The exchanges between Richard and the kids are both warm and funny (watching a VHS of Disney’s “Cinderella” to gain “life lessons”) without turning him into a sitcom”doofus dad”. Green takes the story into a darker turn as the violence starts to tighten around the group. When Richard does intervene, the quick escalation is truly terrifying. The tale’s real power is in its depiction of dedication and determination along with lots of grueling hard work (my calves were aching just watching the practice montages). It’s an inspirational story (and persperational, too). Though it could use a bit of tightening (no need to be over two hours), it’s unusual for a sports film conclusion is quite refreshing. Much of the rest of it may seem familiar, but this a journey worth taking because of the exceptional cast, proving that Smith is a “movie star’ and a truly talented actor. Maybe his praise (and some possible awards) will comprise his “crown” as KING RICHARD.

3 out of 4

KING RICHARD is playing in theatres everywhere and begins a 30-day streaming run exclusively on HBO Max starting November 19.2021