Real Movies are Back (A Challengers Discussion) 

GIRL,,, WHEN TASHI COMES BACK FROM CHEATING WITH PATRICK TO FIND ART SLEEPING NEXT TO THEIR DAUGHTER…. HOLY SHITTT

finally an ACTUAL love triangle, we are so back 😩

when patrick pulls that stool closer to him....

the rant about men deserving to feel pathetic is so loud and so real

Actually, we don't know who wins the game, because the tiebreak is to seven and that was only the first point,. But I actually makes things much better to me, because in the end, it doesnt matter who wins, they all win, patrick and art finally come together, and tashi finally sees some real fucking good tennis.

also patrick is VERY in love with art remember when tashi asked if they'd done anything together and he stayed silent........ even the way he was talking to art in that sauna.... he's been pining since they were teenagers like omg

its so interesting that Tashi at one point says she would kill to have recovered from her injury like Art did, and she says she'd kill even a child or an old woman - the only other significant characters in the entire film are her older mother and her daughter...

Pat & Art definitely did more together, their hotel beds were literally pushed together 😂

as much as i LOVE zendaya you cannot convince me art was the villain sorreyyyy mans was sneaky/manipulative when he was NINETEEN whereas tashi n patrick are out here in their THIRTIES cheating and acting like that... anyways team throuple cuz they clearly cannot live without one another

i love how when Art went for the ball and jumped up in the air, Patrick didnt even try to like move back or anything to hit the ball back, he just dropped his racket and caught Art. thats real love.

"There will always be a power imbalance if you're hooking up outside of a Applebee's" is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

imo there's no true villain they're all a little evil and they slayed!

I saw this film on the weekend on my own with no context and left the cinema messaging my friend with "You have to see it, it's the most bisexual straight gay film I've ever seen" and I stand by that

the applebees is because it’s actually a super common place for tennis players to go when they’re in Cincinnati for the masters. there’s a whole nytimes article about it. this movie is hella smart about its product placement.

Love how nuanced your breakdown is. The whole point isn’t “who’s team are you?” It’s the fact that all three of them would be on the same team if they accepted how much they need each other

also important to note that the weekend patrick and tashi meet up again and art sees them is the weekend of the us open. it’s implied that the situation threw him off his game and caused him to lose. at the beginning of the movie, they say he’s never won the us open. and we know part of why! just a fun detail :)

“I think men should be pathetic” -Trin, 2024

something to note is when they were in the hotel room talking about the girl they both liked in high school, she also got injured a week later playing tennis and never played again. i found that so interesting that it happened to tashi soon after.

my favorite part is when tashi is the only person in the audience who doesn’t seem to care about how the match is going because she seemingly knows the outcome, so everyone’s heads are going back and forth while she’s just blanking staring at the middle. i love the switch from that to her (assumably) being the only person watching the match going back and forth once everything ramps up after we find out that she had conspired with patrick.

you filming this in your bedroom when the most popular scene of this movie is the hotel scene oh you GET ITTTT

It blew my mind realising the three characters names stand for ATP (the Association of Tennis Professionals tour): Art, Patrick, Tashi

the way I literally clasped my hand over my mouth in my little theatre seat when Patrick did the signal with the serve in the final match- COME OOOONN!!!! This movie is everythinggg

Zendaya was so right when she said it take more then one watch to fully understand this story🙌🏾

I was having bisexual panic the ENTIRE time and me and my boyfriend left the theater and he was like wth was that ending and I was like idk dude I’m just turned on 😭💀💀

A movie where two dudes want Zendaya, which is part of the universal human experience

im CRYING at the repetition of the churro clip. the editing in this video is sooo good !!

I don’t think any of them are explicitly the villain. They’re all antagonists AND allies to each other throughout the story in an attempt to achieve their own end goal. They’re each determined to reach it no matter what, but need to play the game differently to get there. And without that, they would be boring! The passion they have towards reaching their respective “happy endings” is what makes them compelling, realistic, and ultimately flawed. And the balance they place between love for eachother vs tennis is essential to why the match at the end is so cathartic bc they’re all FINALLY communicating their goals and their willingness to do anything to get there, just through tennis instead of words

This is probably the most interesting love triangle I've since maybe The Favourite? They all have this invisible magnet that brings all 3 of them together. Patrick brings up a fire in Tashi and Art that they hate to admit but can't resist, Tashi and Pat are willing to do a lot for Art, Art gets a huge amount of motivation from Tashi and Patrick, and Tashi loves to control Pat & Art. Like without her who knows if they would've acknowledged the sexual tension between them. They can try to sperate themselves from each other but they will still run right back.

you saying how patrick doing that serve proves he's still in love with art is something i def agree with but i almost feel like we got a confirmation on that love in the sauna scene that happens the day before the match because patrick is so clearly crushed after art basically says he doesn't matter, not to the most obsessive tennis fan in the world and not to art either. patrick may have done some shady shit but i swear so much of it boils down to his love for art.

i love this movie so much and i honestly feel like all 3 of them were the villians of the story 😭 but i NEED a movie about art and patrick’s chemistry

Sorry you didn‘t describe the end scene enough: Art is flying over the net, hitting the ball on Patricks side of the court and patrick catches him in his fall like they are some kind of renaissance painting angels or something and then they hug hard

20:48 didn’t you notice that during the dorm room scene where Tashi and Patrick are getting down they do talk about Art for a bit? Patrick starts moaning as soon as she brought him up

as someone who studies film... the churro scene is 100% an innuendo. it wasn't in the initial script so if luca made the decision to add it then that says something about the characters, especially who eats whose churro bc they had to decide that, its ALL intentional!!!!

THE SUIT IS EVERYTHING

10:30 I'm pretty sure Art blew a raspberry at Patrick before running up the stairs. it wasn't a fart

i wish she talked about art and patrick kissing and tashi just watching. that scene was so important

ok honestly the real villain of this movie is monogamy!!! bc i don’t think any of them are the bad guys necessarily but they’re all compelled to act within the boundaries of that box and so they refuse to acknowledge their complex feelings. after a second watch i think art’s heteronormativity is what gets in the way the most bc his jealousy/manipulation is what breaks up tashi and patrick and ultimately patrick and art. i even feel like patrick sleeps with tashi in the present timeline because art tells him to f off in the sauna. yes they’re all dysfunctional but it’s bc they all just belong together!!!!

i love that you pointed out the comedy cause i watched this in theatres and literally only my friends and i were giggling and we were like does nobody else find this funny???!

when in the end you said "art can be gorgeous", i was like well yes he is

I heard someone say that this movie is about two guys in love and a girl who just fucking loves tennis 😂

zendaya only says that art is the villain because she plays tashi so she’s speaking from tashi’s point of view, and tashi would never admit to being wrong about anything. imo there’s no one true villain of the movie, they all take turns being villainous which is what makes their whole dynamic so fun to watch.

The collective gasps & “oh my god” & “oh shit” that we all let out when it clicked in our heads in that theater 😂😂 so obvious that we were not expecting him to do the hand thing… iconic

spoilers: favorite moments -tashi literally telling them what tennis is to her -patrick talking about his and art’s first time -patrick and art kissing like their lives depended on it -tashi’s face listening to patrick in the ally -the whole churro scene -tashi holding art as she realizes she’s losing her connection to tennis AGAIN while art is morning the end of their marriage -the sauna when patrick asks art “do i matter?…… im not talking about tennis” and art doesn’t answer the question -the whole sequence of the first point of the tie breaker game

The score did not need to go as hard as it did but god damn am I glad it did.

new trin video about challengers? oh i am SAT and i am READY also her fit? the blazer? chefs kiss immaculate

I was practically vibrating in the theater by the end of the movie. I’m a cinema connoisseur now- I see in 75mm, I vomit up reels. WE ARE SO BACK

I think the villain conversation is interesting especially considering Zendaya’s personal take on it. I mean that can attribute to her decisions in the role of tashi I don’t think there’s any true villain which is what makes the movie so great and rewatchable. it’s such a real and raw look at that special relationship between the 3 where at one point they all are villains because ultimately their relationship all together is toxic. but they’re all very passionate people, and it shows that they share the common bond of doing whatever it takes to get what they want.

Girl this movie was everything and I'm glad you liked it as well. No spoiler but that was one of the most satisfying endings to a movie I have seen in a while.

also love your take on the ending and patrick’s motivation for revealing the fact that he hooked up with tashi to art, it really clarifies the ending for me

I agree with you on the fight being inevitable. Art definitely was a little snake for what he did with literally trying to break up his best friends relationship. However, the fight happened because tashi couldn’t stop talking about tennis & critiquing patrick’s game while they were making out. Which then led to a bigger discussion about how tashi honestly didn’t want to be in some exclusive loving relationship but honestly rather have someone she could honestly just coach and just have sex with. tashi telling patrick that she didn’t see him as a peer didn’t help. they were going to fight eventually.

Okay but the crazy WILD thing is that in the conversation with Art about retirement in the bedroom, she says, “Yes, Art, I will leave you if you loose tomorrow. Does that help you?” She doesn’t give it a definite answer, she’s still trying to play him. Also TASHI’S YELL AT THE END

Love how the music made the conversations also feel like little points in their tennis-like relationships with each other

It is hilarious to me to imagine Tashi has been stirring all that shit between them two just to watch good tennis again, she’s like finally some good fucking food 😭😭😭

i think tashi still going to college is more of a commentary on her being a black girl. she's her family's only hope and even though she's the best of the best she knows that since shes black she still needs to have something to fall back on. idk maybe it's just me

love this video, love this movie, as a tennis fan i would like to clarify that we actually don’t know who won the match! but that’s part of the fun like it doesn’t matter who wins because they entered the zone where you are connected like tashi had talked about earlier in the movie when they were on the beach

Absolutely loved your analysis. Oh boy, it was like those smirks between the boys at the end were saying "there you are", and in that moment it was just the two of them. They went back to being ice and fire, before Tashi, before everything. Just a note as a native Italian speaker: it's not Guada-niño but Guada-ñino. The ñ sound is right after the "da".

The three punch trio of Challengers, Saltburn, and Poor Things had better wake Hollywood the fuck up.

People were literally bashing the trailer and when it hit theatres. The writers, directors, and cast members literally showed them don't judge a book by it's cover but I do understand bc Hollywood has been putting out hit or miss releases.

IVE BEEN WAITING TO HEAR U TALK ABOUT THIS MOVIE EVER SINCE I SAW IT

I think theyre all flawed and thats why they go so great together! On Art being the villain, I actually think Tashi and Patrick would have fought eventually. Patrick and Tashi fundamentally view tennis differently, for Tashi, everything is about Tennis and for Patrick, he's good at it and so he does it. Tashi couldn't be with anyone who didn't have a passion for tennis. With the addition of Art, this can mellow the inevitable sparks that would come between her and Patrick.

Art farted and that's why Patrick stared at him . Also they are sooo many parallels in this movie like 1. When Art spits out the gum into Tashi's hand. He use to do that with Patrick , 2. Art's serve coming back into play being the signal whenever Patrick sleeps with Tashi the night before and 3. When Patrick says that winning the Junior's could be a curse and look at Tashi and Patrick, they both end up not being the best at Tennis and then Art and Anna being the best and going on to win the US Open.

i anticipated that patrick was gonna use the serve tell as a message to art about what happened too and was gagged still when it happened. i had mixed feelings immediately i was like is this some nasty type of mind fucking? or is this him trying to be honest and open art’s eyes? yep he just loved art too much and had to show it to art in a context he would HAVE to listen to. i really do think that tashi’s quote about tennis being a relationship is so important. she’s brutal, aggressive, reckless, and fiery in her tennis playing and that carries into her connections to both boys cuz that’s how she loves. the boys’ relationships were towards each other as much as it was to tennis but i think their connection was WHY they could love tennis so much. that’s why patrick stops being good, that’s why art slowly stops wanting to play, it’s no longer alongside their best friend. yet after this moment, this strange honest intimacy on the court they always used to love each other on… the connection to tennis gets snapped back into place for them both. and that’s why tashi is so fucking delighted in the end. she finally saw some good tennis from them bc the court showed their relationship being healed and worked out right there in the moment and THAT mended their relationship to tennis.

I cannot believe im seeing this at ONE MINUTE!!!!!

the scene where tashi came back to the hotel room to see art sleeping in bed with his daughter just broke my heart, i feel like art deserved more from her 💔

TRIN…. the background, the lighting, the makeup, the outfit???? ALL A SERVE LOVE YOU

i honestly can’t hate anyone on this like i’m sooo team throuple…,, 😭 i understand all of them so bad

watched it on thursday and i can't stop thinking about it. the last 10 minutes are just marvelous

literally the first thing i told all my friends whenever i mentioned Challengers was that “I love the director, I’m mostly going for him, he is such an amazing, detail-oriented, and beautiful director” cause honestly? He did THAT again. He created such a beautiful, sexy, thrilling movie with no sex. HE IS JUST SO AMAZING!!

applebees is a rlly big part of tennis culture bc it’s like the only place that’s open after matches so they all go

I’m sorry but the editing always gets me, I love it😂The rumble sound effect or the “oooooo”

We don't actually know if art wins the game. He won point 1 of 7 of the tie breaker round and we don't actually know the outcome of the game

Theres nothing better than going "omg this movie was made for me" when a movie is announced and them going "i was right" after watching it

38:20 I SO AGREE!! I clocked in the flashbacks when they both were looking at the posters of her and Patrick moved to stare at her award and Art was just staring at her picture god I feel so validated

I don’t think they’ve done more than kiss together throughout this whole timeline. I think the point was how much they wanted to but didn’t.

your dog acting as a living prop in this video was so necessary to me

Tashi's "come on" during Art and Patrick's match... cinema.

Off topic but I am obsessed with Trin's bedroom decor AND the blazer she's devouring in, it's everything! 😍📢‼️

the sound FX, the setup, the outfit, THE GLASSES?????? OH TRIN DON'T MOTHER THAT HARDDDD one of your best vids❤

favorite youtuber talking about my new favorite movie…trin you never disappoint

Trinnnn thank you for posting this bc this explains what my brain was trying to say fr💀

I hope ur proud I held off watching this to watch the movie first cause that shit was harder to wait for than when I had open heart surgery

I was lucky enough to see this movie with my friend in a empty theater. When it got to the scene where Patrick serves like Art it clicked in my brain what he was saying. I almost got up out my seat and kept telling my friend "Hes crazyyy for that!!!" lmao it was one of the best theater experiences I've ever had. Im sure seeing this movie with a crowd would be fun too but seeing it just the 2 of us, being able to fully react with no worry of bothering anyone was 100x more fun!

sorry but can we also discuss zendaya's met gala outfit this year? HELLO???? this is HER YEAR

art was a snake from the beginning, and tashi only cares about herself. i think they’re all very flawed !! but for whatever reason i can’t help but love patrick 😂

That applebees is a real place players go to when they’re playing the cincinnati masters! it’s an insider reference (not that i’m an insider)

this movie had my jumping theories every other seconds for the reason behind their motives...

the way im just OBSESSED since i left that movie theater istgggg 🥵🥵 cant wait for a movie commentary video when its on streamings!!!!

Legit thought challengers was just a tennis movie, but you've opened my eyes! Need to pause this video so I can see the movie for myself first

movie of the year and it’s only may, iktr!

the production value of this video, the editing, Trin is always on top of it! ❤

tbh patrick was my favorite character throughout the film and i think that tashi was the real villain

trin looking SO STUNNING AND GORGEOUS

zendaya never actually said art was the villain. she just wanted to point out that art isn't completely innocent as everyone makes him out to be. in most of the interviews, when she comes at art, she's just defending tashi lol

I agree SO MUCH with your thoughts about what led to the fight!! Even if Art got under their skin, Tashi is obsessive and prideful about tennis and Patrick doesn’t back down, if the fight didn’t happen at that moment, I guarantee it still would’ve happened at some other point in the relationship. I don’t think any of them are innocent at all, and there’s no true villain in my opinion. But I will say Patrick and Tashi caught onto Art’s manipulation early on and he does outgrow some of that by the end (keyword some because he really gagged me during the sauna scene). Regardless all three of them are messy in their own ways!

I absolutely love the length and editing style of this video!!

you popped on the editing with this one bestie

also i don't think art won the final game? touching the other player (patrick) means the point is lost so................. he risked it all for him

At THAT moment with the serve at the very end - I literally jumped out of my seat - and then sunk down almost on to the floor and then just rolled around flailing my arms 😂 I FREAKED OUT - it was worth being in the theater - like you said - to see everyone freak out a BUNCH

i had a BLASTTT with this movie. it feels like it’s been so long that ive watched a movie that i actually continue to think about once i leave the theater

I loved this movie! ❤️ Boy do I think Art and Patrick had something before or felt something in the present, especially coming from Patrick, they had so much chemistry and in parts I definitely think they had more chemistry with each other than with Tashi. I do not think Art was the villain of the movie, he might've said some things to them when they were younger but Patrick and Tashi had their own problems. All Tashi wanted to do was talk about Tennis and give Patrick pointers, and Patrick didn't want her help. Patrick made the choice of not showing up to the tournament. Art had nothing to do there. I think all three characters did bad things throughout the movie but I feel like Art definitely is the least to blame. They all were really interesting characters! That ending tennis match had me on the edge of my seat, seeing Art win the match made me so happy. That embrace between them both was so cute. I loved Tashi's scream at the end because she finally saw some real Tennis being played again. They made her so proud!