JASON EVANS' 100-WORD REVIEWS: Challengers

 Sexy, scintillating, and sensational!

Film critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to zip a forehand down the line. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 is too short, but 101 is like reading War and Peace). Here is his 100-word review of Challengers.

The Premise: Young tennis players Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor from The Crown) and Art Donaldson (Mike Feist of West Side Story) are best friends and doubles partners until they both fall for superstar Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). At first Tashi finds herself attracted to Patrick but when she injures her leg, she shifts and falls for Art. Years later she has guided Art, now her husband, to be one of the best tennis players in the world. But when his career starts to falter, the couple suddenly finds Patrick back in their lives. The two old friends face off one last time in a battle for tennis success and the attention of the woman they love. The picture is directed by the award winning Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All). Two-time Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did the score for the film.

The 100 Words: The trio of stars in this film are positively electric together. Their love triangle and the tennis scenes jump off the screen thanks to the expert direction of Guadagnino, who moves the camera around in creative and unexpected ways. The story sucks you in as it jumps between the past and the present as the relationships become increasingly complex. The outstanding Ross/Reznor score compliments everything and gets you moving in your seat. Everything about this film is a delight for the audience and I promise not to forget this flick when making my best of the year list in December.  

Reach out to Jason Evans on Twitter @JasonDukeEvans