Review: 'Challengers' presents a sexy love triangle that shows why Zendaya is the star of her generation

It was only a matter of time — after scoring two Emmys for “Euphoria” and playing the girlfriend roles in three “Spider-Man” movies and “Dune: Part Two” — before Zendaya would get a movie to shine as the powerful star that she is.

“Challengers,” a sexy love triangle set in the world of professional tennis, is that movie. And Zendaya is spectacular in it, matched well with male stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, all helmed by director Luca Guadagnino — who finds in his leading lady the perfect person to act out his sexual power dynamics.

Zendaya plays Tashi Donaldson, who we meet at a tennis tournament where her husband, Art Donaldson (Faist), whom Tashi coaches, is the odds-on favorite to win. But there’s a surprise at this tournament: A late entry by a journeyman player, Patrick Zweig (O’Connor). And to say Tashi, Art and Patrick have some history is understatement.

The script, by first-time screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, takes us back 13 years, when Art and Patrick are best friends, on the rise in the juniors tennis circuit. At one tournament, they meet Tashi, a phenom player who’s on her way to be one of the greats. After the tourney, the three of them are together in a hotel room and … well, if you’ve seen the trailer, you have some idea of what happens next.

In the intervening years, Guadagnino shows us how the guys’ competitive nature spilled off the court and onto their dealings with Tashi, who goes from dating Patrick to marrying Art. The boys, though, aren’t Tashi’s primary focus — she doesn’t think love means nothing, as the old tennis joke goes, but the game means more. And when her dreams of Grand Slam titles are sidelined by a knee injury, she becomes determined to channel her tennis knowledge and drive into Art. 

In the movie’s terms, Zendaya is the champion in every way. Guadagnino and cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (who also collaborated with the director on “Call Me By Your Name” and “Suspiria”) gravitate toward her at every opportunity — who wouldn’t? — and she matches that attention with a performance that’s blazing with intensity. The intimate scenes she shares with O’Connor (“The Crown”) and Faist (“West Side Story”) are fiery and passionate, and not for a moment is she not in control.

I can’t say much about the ending, the rare sports showdown where the winner isn’t pre-ordained. It’s for sure going to get people talking. Some may find it a cheat, but I believe it’s the only way — knowing what we know about these characters and what matters to them — it could have played out, and it gives “Challengers” an added delightful twist.

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‘Challengers’

★★★1/2

Opens Friday, April 26, in theaters everywhere. Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity. Running time: 131 minutes.