History Film / Challengers2024

* BrickJoke: Art asks Patrick to throw the U.S. Open Junior finals for the sake of his grandmother. When Tashi offers her number to whoever wins the match, Patrick shoots back (partly in jest) that he hopes she dies of a stroke. Later in the film, we discover that that was, indeed, how Art's grandmother died.
** At the U.S.Open Junior women's final, Tashi easily defeats Anna Mueller. Several years later (after her knee injury forced her to leave the sport), she sees a sports segment touting the now-pro Mueller as the favorite to win that year's Wimbledon; the announcer wonders audibly if there is anyone who could challenge her.

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: [[spoiler:Judging by Lily's age, she was born around the right time to have been actually fathered by Patrick, though Tashi was presumably sleeping with Art at the same time, so it's not clear if she knows who Lily's father is.]]

** Art and his team wear a lot of Uniqlo.

* RiddleForTheAges:
** Who is [[spoiler:Lily's father? Art or Patrick? Art and Tashi are presumably having sex, as they're engaged, but Tashi also has a one-night stand with Patrick around the time Lily would've been conceived, in 2011.]]
** [[spoiler:Who actually won the challenger event, Art or Patrick? The umpire is never shown calling the match and their final play is framed in a way that's meant to be as deliberately ambiguous as possible, not to mention that it's technically impossible.]]

* TurnOfTheMillennium: Most of the flashbacks, excluding [[spoiler:Tashi and Patrick's hookup in 2011]], takes place between 2006 and 2009.

* FamedInStory: Tashi and Art are considered to be a power couple, with numerous celebrity endorsements and sponsorships backing them. During the challenger event, it's shown that Art has his own EstrogenBrigade fan club and he gets a lot more support than Patrick does from the audience at their match.

* JadedWashout: Art's reason for wanting to retire is the fear of becoming this. Realizing both his age and his drive is starting to affect his tennis.

* RagingStiffie: Art physically has one after their makeout session with Tashi, which Patrick playfully smacks his erect dick, causing Art to recoil in pain.

* UnskilledButStrong: Subverted and the problem with Patrick, who has been trying to coast by in the leagues on his raw talent alone. Yet without the training to hone his skills like Art, that has made him a world champion, Patrick has never made it beyond the preliminaries.

* WouldHurtAChild: Tashi says that she would stab a kid or [[WouldHurtASenior an old lady]] if it meant being able to recover from her CareerEndingInjury.

''Challengers'' is an American romantic sports drama film directed by Creator/LucaGuadagnino and written by [[WebVideo/PotionSeller Justin Kuritzkes]].

->''"I'm taking such good care of my little white boys."''
-->-- '''Tashi Duncan'''

Meeting the young tennis superstar Tashi Duncan (Creator/{{Zendaya}}) complicates the friendship between teenagers Art Donaldson (Creator/MikeFaist) and Patrick Zweig (Creator/JoshOConnor). Years later, Tashi has become Art's coach and wife, and has helped him go from mediocre tennis player to Grand Slam champion. But when he faces off against Patrick in a Challenger event, the Donaldsons find that it's not so easy to escape the past.

* CareerEndingInjury: When playing tennis at Stanford, Tashi blows out her knee on the court, an injury from which her career never recovers; she has to pivot to coaching instead.

* CompanyCrossReferences: Lily watches ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'', another film produced by Pascal Pictures. Crosses over with CelebrityParadox, as Tashi is played by Zendaya who was of course MJ in the ''Film/MCUSpiderManTrilogy''.

* SmugSnake: Art and Patrick both have their moments.

* WouldHarmASenior / WouldHurtAChild: Tashi says that she'll beat up whoever it takes to get Art's confidence up before the challenger match, even if it may be a small child or an old lady.

* GetOut: Tashi and Patrick have a fight right before the match in which she blows out her knee. She screams at him to leave when he finally comes to check on her, with an enraged Art also screaming for him to get the fuck out.

* {{Fanservice}}: The three-way kiss between beautiful Tashi, handsome Art and hunky Patrick. Likewise multiple shots of beautiful tennis players of both sexes glistening from their sweat while on the courts, as well as Tashi wearing a see-through top in one scene and a long shot in the sauna focusing on a naked Patrick's bare ass.

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler:Who actually won the challenger event, Art or Patrick? The umpire is never shown calling the match and their final play is framed in a way that's meant to be as deliberately ambiguous as possible, not to mention that it's technically impossible.]]

* {{Fanservice}}: The three-way kiss between beautiful Tashi, handsome Art and hunky Patrick. Likewise multiple shots of beautiful tennis players of both genders glistening from their sweat while on the courts, as well as Tashi wearing a see-through top in one scene and a long shot in the sauna focusing on a naked Patrick's bare ass.

* TheTurnOfTheMillennium: Most of the flashbacks, excluding [[spoiler:Tashi and Patrick's hookup in 2011]], takes place between 2006 and 2009.

* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Patrick is said to be well endowed in this department, which he uses to try to intimidate Art.

* IfItsYouItsOkay: Shades of this between teenage Art and Patrick.

* BilingualBonus: A sneakier example than most: Italian singer Patti Pravo's 1978 hit "Pensiero stupendo" can be heard briefly in a scene, its lyrics are ''explicitly'' about a [[ThreeWaySex menage à trois]], and therefore ''very'' appropriate for the movie, given its [[LoveTriangle premise]].

* BilingualBonus: A sneakier example than most: Italian singer Patti Pravo's 1978 hit "Pensiero stupendo" is played briefly in a scene, this may not seem like much of an EasterEgg for people who know Italian at first, until one learns the lyrics are *explicitly* about a [[ThreeWaySex menage à trois]], and therefore *very* appropriate for the movie, given its [[LoveTriangle premise]].

!!Tropes:

* ContrivedCoincidence: Tashi essentially chooses a challenger event for Art to compete in at random, and it just so happens that Patrick is also competing in the same tournament.

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: [[spoiler:The movie ends with a moment of this between all three of the main characters. Art jumps up, smashes the ball across the net, and lands in Patrick's arms. The two men embrace each other while Tashi cheers enthusiastically from the sidelines, demonstrating that in spite of everything they've put each other through, these three characters all still care for each other.]]

* WhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:After sleeping with Patrick the night before the Challengers between him and Art, Tashi sneaking back into the hotel room is alarmed to find her husband not in their bed. Going to check on their daughter, she finds Art in bed with Lily instead, and goes out into their parlor, where the guilt seemingly begins to wash over her.]]

* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler:[[https://slate.com/culture/2024/04/challengers-movie-ending-explained-tennis-umpire-who-wins.html The ending doesn't actually reveal who won]], though this is likely lost on those unfamiliar with tennis. Further, do Patrick and Art mend their relationship, and which, if either, ends up with Tashi? Or do the three supposedly form a throuple relationship?]]
* AmbiguousSituation: Patrick and Art disagree about whether the mutual masturbation they engaged in at twelve (while [[{{Foreshadowing}} talking about a girl they were both interested in]]) counts as them having hooked up with each other or not. It is also unclear whether Art is telling the truth when he claims that it only happened once, and that they stayed in separate beds and did not make physical contact with each other.

* AmbiguousSituation: Patrick and Art disagree about whether the mutual masturbation they engaged in at twelve (while [[Foreshadowing talking about a girl they were both interested in]]) counts as them having hooked up with each other or not. It is also unclear whether Art is telling the truth when he claims that it only happened once, and that they stayed in separate beds and did not make physical contact with each other.

* AmbiguousSituation: Patrick and Art disagree about whether the mutual masturbation they engaged in at twelve (while [[Foreshadowing:talking about a girl they were both interested in]]) counts as them having hooked up with each other or not. It is also unclear whether Art is telling the truth when he claims that it only happened once, and that they stayed in separate beds and did not make physical contact with each other.