This video was a NIGHTMARE to get out and might still cause some problems so, likes and comments appreciated even if it's nothing specific! ALSO! - if you're watching this night one, might do a lil stream tonight!
@@Scoobydcs Combo of recording/editing and then having to upload about 20 versions of this before it stopped popping copyright on sections including only my face - almost two weeks of headaches lol
BTW, Tashi and Patrick feel that Art is the reason for the injury (Art told Tashi Patrick doesn't love her and told Patrick she isn't serious about their relationship...they argue b4 her match, then the injury occurs.) Z stated that in a Challengers interview. Etalk
@@EitanAlroy well she'll be 28 in three months, but regardless, 27 is a lot closer to 30 than it is to a teenager or even a 21 y/o (speaking as someone who's 31 lol). Most of my real life friends from high school have had kids for years (some since high school), and it's still weird to see or think about them sometimes lol
@@EitanAlroy2 1/2 - 3 years is right around the corner. Its time to stop the delulu and face the reality that you're almost 30. Signed: a quarter-life crisis 24 year old.
One thing I noticed that was cool, Patrick in the challengers match uses a rubber band as a shock absorber instead of just buying one. Really highlighting that the financial situation not only influences his living situation but also his equipment.
Honestly, of all sports to turn into a live action anime, tennis is naturally well-suited. Basketball is squeaky, football is crowded, tennis can highlight the solo struggle, grunts and all.
@@andrewklang809 Oooo good to know! I really loved Challengers, what tennis/other sports anime’s would you recommend that have a similar story telling style and vibe?
I do wish the throuple aspect was more obvious in the movie, I'm tired of arguing with people online that think Tashi is some sort of evil witch antagonist set to destroy the boys or the ones that claim the boys didn't know they were kissing each other and boldly claim that there was no gayness in the movie- a movie by Luca Guadanigno mind you! How dare they.
Princess Weekes points out that the early trailers painted Tashi as an antagonist femme fatale. It even has Maneater by Nelly Furtado playing in it. I think that might have contributed to that misinterpretation because Tashi is most definitely not an antagonist
i really disagree, i think if it were any more explicit it would have been heavy handed. a heavy handed throuple would be great for a different movie but i think the whole point of the movie is that all of them are repressed and can only communicate through tennis. a movie shouldnt preemptively adapt to ppl who just dont get it
I am sorry, I haven't even watched the movie but from the promos it's obvious that they're a dysfunctional throuple 😅 Not exactly the hardest thing to miss or figure out. 😂
I described Tashi as having the "Goldilocks" problem. With Patrick, he just won't listen to her at all, even tho she knows she's got SOME points. But Art just listens to every single thing she says without ever pushing back, but she also knows she doesn't get EVERYTHING right. She wants someone that will see her for the amazing whole person she is but also see her for the mess she can be, and accept both sides. Someone willing to listen but also willing to fight.
As the great Jonelle Monae once said: “everything is sex/ except sex, which is power/ you know power is just sex….now ask yourself who’s screwing you!”
I really loved how this film was written. Everything meant something. The nonlinear way of telling the story enhanced it in my opinion. All the callbacks, references, allusions & foreshadowing worked so well together
that was not actually intentional, Luca said that "sometimes a churro is a churro, a racket is a racket".... and the banana was Josh O'Connor's suggestion based on an actual players mid game practices - just a beautiful coincidence
@@AmandaTheJedi But... but... Patrick and Art both took a bite of that churro while gazing lovingly into each other's eyes! And Patrick was legit deepthroating that banana while staring at Art!
i’ve BEEN saying that in the scene with Art and Tashi in the hotel room, Art is literally pushing her to say what he thinks he needs to hear until she finally says it. whether or not tashi meant it, Art is NAWT the innocent little boy yall make him out to be 💀
@@romy1924he is messy and makes wrong choices but so does the other two! Calling him the villain when what tashi and patrick do is just as bad (or even worse) is not accurate at all
@lou372 if he didn't try to steal his man's woman then none of this would have happened 🤷♂️. That's why he felt so guilty, and didn't say anything when he found out that she cheated
@@romy1924 1.- Art's feeble attempts at breaking Patrick and Tashi's relationship didn't even work because both of them saw right through them, and ignored them. Patrick even said that he liked Art's behaviour and it made his relationship hotter. Tashi and Patrick's fight wasn't even at all about anything Art said, but because Tashi's obsession with tennis and Patrick's ego not wanting to accept her help or advice, refusing to think that she might know better than him. 2. Art saw Tashi and Patrick talking. He didn't even know about the affair until Patrick told him via the hand gesture in the final. Sure, he might have suspected something but even if he did, how is being in denial about the possibility your spouse cheated on you even makes you a bad person? Art is not perfect but come on, Tashi and Patrick's actions were far worse.
When I saw the trailers I legitimately thought that Patrick and Art were a couple and were starting a thrumple with Tashi. Maybe I’m just incredibly bi and read way too much BL but I was happy I wasn’t the only one who saw the homoerotic tension.
totally same vibe I got from the trailer, then going into the movie i got super super confused and wondered if it was like Art and Tashi were bringing Patrick into their relationship somehow?? loved the way the whole film just fell into place though, and started building on the relationship every time it flashed back to the past, I did not see it coming, I had watched the trailer like a year ago and thought the movie looked really great, then only just watched it finally a week ago, so was going in kinda blind. I definitely think Patrick was my fav for being the more overt bi character. Art was so restrained and straight.
wow it's almost as if they're regular ppl. finally glad to see a queer person portrayed as a normal person, and not an oversexualized yass queen stereotype, lol.
In a way, I still think that the obvious queerness between the characters is especially interesting because even thought the feelings are ambiguous, that's the only true emotional intensity we get from them. Sure, Patrick is on Tinder with both guys and girls on - but at the moment, he's only looking for places to stay, just like we've seen him flirt his way with the cashier at the beginning. His relationships outside of Art and Tashi are almost all on the parasitic / exploitative side : he refuses to exploit his parent's money, but he tries to gain a place to stay throuh sheer seduction. Because the true goal is playing the tournament, to get close to the two people he still loves. So I'd go even further : it's not even sorting out that Patrick is bi, it's just establishing than any relationship outside Art and Tashi are simply means to an end, secondary, irrelevant. (Though, obviously, that doesn't change the fact that he's obviously physically and emotionally attracted to a man and a woman).
@@Spicy_Spores that’s the way i meant it, i meant that the movie could’ve focused on it in a way that felt forced, that overexplains things to the audience but didn’t do that, it just gave you the information and moved on, leaving you to do with that what you will when it comes to the triangle
@@Spicy_Spores my favourite josh o'connor film is of him portraying the most humanised portrayal of a gay man i've probably ever seen. God's Own Country, such a beautiful beautiful film...
I have the exact same “headcanon” ending you listed. Art regains his passion to win the Opens one last time and not just out of obligation to Tashi, before retiring and then afterward Tashi and Art train Patrick to do the same eventually. She gets both men exactly where she wants them and it’s all happily symbiotic
Bless. Thank you for mentioning the fact that Lily is way too young to be Patrick's one-night-stand daughter. I've seen waaay too many people pretend it makes sense, just cause they're desperate for more unnecessary drama. It's something I'd expect from The CW, not a Luca film, and it's also such a disservice to Tashi's intelligence. Top 3 Challengers "theories" that suck ass.
since you bring up how art’s passion is sucked out of him i just wanna throw out there that present 2019 art rarely ever even smiles. and in the past scenes we see of him, he smiles most when he’s with patrick 💔
i love how trin pointed out the way that patrick was in love with tashi as a tennis player very specifically, and i think art was in love with her entirely. i think he loves patrick too but he desires tashi more. tashi i think does love art, but she’s prideful and wants to have him AND tennis which is why she tells him she’ll leave if he loses but then quickly decides to ask patrick to lose on purpose so this doesn’t have to happen. oof. i could watch this movie 3 more times and i saw it twice in theaters already.
@@smellylorenny the way patrick mentioned it made it seem like something art has always done, i think it’s just a small detail to show that art and tashi are alike in many ways as well even though it’s more obvious that tashi and patrick have a lot in common
The first time I saw this movie in theaters it was $5 Tuesday and there was this group of dude bros in front of me who HATED it and after the credits stood up and loudly discussed how the thesis of this film is that all women are evil and destroy male friendship and that all the homoeroticism was a result of Tashi’s manipulation. It was fucking wild. “I *wanted* to give it 3 stars on letterboxd but I just *can’t* now.”
@@deusexmachina9776or i think op is just discussing what heteronormative men in the theatre took away from the movie? it’s interesting to see, especially when the director is known for strong queer and erotic themes
i just found your videos and i have to say: i love the fact that you take the time to analyze not only the film but the script! as a filmmaker i love seeing how things from the page are shown on screen and this bring so much value to your videos. thank you for the work you do!
Zendaya really is shaping up to be like the actress of a generation. She doesn't seem to be afraid of any project, people seem to appreciate her efforts regardless of what they are. Like we talk about Merly Streep the last decade or two... I wouldn't be surprised if that's how we talk about her moving forward.
ILOVED every messy, complex, toxic, co-dependent minute of this movie! Nothing cookie cutter about it. Best film I've seen in the last few years! Cinematography, the use of music making you feel the emotion of their conversation versus their spoken words, the time jumps felt like a tennis match. Just BRILLIANT!
It doesnt really matter towards anything but it’s really important to me for everyone to know that the screenwriter, Justin Kuritzkes, made the og Potion Seller video. Truly a man of many talents.
I loved this movie! Totally agreed on the analysis. I hate when people view it as tashi needing to choose one persom over the other when it wasnt like that
@AmandatheJedi I'm sorry this video was such a pain in the ass to get approved, but you did a PHENOMENAL job re-engaging the feelings I had first watching this movie. You are an exceptional reviewer/reactor. 🎉
I loved the convo/monologue on the beach. I felt it was included to show the depth of Tashi's connection to tennis and how it surpasses the boys' love for tennis and even their infatuation with her. I also thought it was a beautiful insight into the minds of people who are passionate about what they're doing. When Tashi said it was as if her and racist tennis girl didn't exist while they were playing, she's describing the flow state people enter when playing a game, creating art, having sex... Love your commentary Amanda!
I thought they showed Art had moved to their daughters room when Tasha comes home so during the match the next day when Patrick gives Art the signal from years ago that they fucked, he knows it happened the night before when he woke up and she wasn't there so he went to their daughter.
I still don't know how we've gotten this far with this movie without talking about the awful and egregious 16+ product placement. I genuinely don't know why nobody has said anything i feel insane. Felt like they were shining a flashlight in my face every 5 minutes.
I absolutly agree with your take. In the end everybody won it doesnt even matter who actually won the Match. The thing while watching the movie that made me so sad (not blaming directly tashi) was the loss of a beautiful friendship, one started as kids probably. even if nothing else happened between them sexually, friendships like this are rare so close, in a way loosing someone so dearly can be worse than loosing a girlfriend specially in the case of Patrick. I also think as previously said in the churro scene that patrick was excited to see art excited for somthing even if it was his girlfriend. So in the match when he does the move with the ball i truly beleive he is doing it for art to get him again excited and willing to play and not out of malice. In the end i think everybody won but specially the friendship that was so special and beutiful between art and patrick. Loved this movie. Concept, insane camera angles and the music. Great movie!
I was quite satisfied with the end of the film actually. Usually when it comes to movies with "ambiguous endings" I'm left feeling unfulfilled and cheated out of an actual ending but this didn't seem that ambiguous to me actually. I left the theater with my mind confident in the fact that they had found that spark again, and they were going to figure out how to be happy, all three of them. No matter who won, no matter if they ended up all hooking up or just becoming close in a different way than as a poly threesome. I was right there with Tashi. I was elated.
Finally, the MMF triad movie I've always wanted to see! And not just as some kind of sex thing, but like an actual relationship. Such a breath of fresh air that they all are concrete characters with real connections. Like sure, there's The Dreamers, but this is actually a pretty happy ending rather than being more about how you can't save people from themselves.
I watched it twice in the movies. I was absolutely enthralled by it. I was at the edge of my seat, not being able to decide how I wanted it to end. What a masterpiece.
For me I think the movie is beautiful with great shots and fantastic acting. But the vibe of the movie felt off to me and I think it’s just the specific directing style. I don’t really like his other movies because of this. But overall Challengers was alright. Very Very excited to see your takes on it. You always bring so much nuance film.
im so glad you made the death note refrance bc when i hears love triangle with some arguably homo erotic tension and tennis i can ONLY think of death note
On Alex Meyers' video, somebody commented that the writer of Challengers is married to Celine Song and they think this movie is his admission that they should've ended up a thruple AND I HAVE NOT STOPPED THINKING ABOUT THAT.
What I thought was brilliant was that in the sauna scene Art sais to Patrick, that they are not on the same level. (I watched it in German. Not sure what the exact wording was in English.) Then in the final scene Art jumps uo and is higher than Patrick, just to fall into his arms. So they are on the same level again.
I loved this movie but glad you helped me put words to why. Now can we get a sequel that is just the awkward conversation after the match between the three of them.
Thank you for your many insights--I love your enthusiasm and intelligence. One thing--there's a thing called vocal variety in which a good speaker varies pitch, force, rate, and quality. So Amanda--could you please slow down; vary your rate. It would help enormously; you might win awards. I wish you all the best (also--I'm a speech and drama teacher). Cheers!
Great vid as alwaysssss The way is just KNEW the ball in the triangle was a planting and i was just patiently waiting Luca to use it in the right moment OMG SO satisfiying i was alone at the theater with a friend we were as laud as we wanted 😅 Just one thing that can be different in our readings, i don't think the fire and ice roles are fixed, i think they change as the movie progresses as they swap attitudes, and its in their clothes too, i think Art is Fire at first and You see it in all the warm colors until he wears more blue at the final. Maybe its bc he is more warm and all about feelings, meanwhile Patrick is straightforward, sharp and focused on winning, cold, at the beggining. Also, Art starts at a peachy pink, but when he is being a snake and when he screams at Patrick to GET OUT, he is a very vivid red. Also in the final they arent either baby blue and peach, or electric blue and red, they are yin and yang, complementary, Patrick is black with a bit of red and Art is White with a bit of blue. Their surroundings and Tashi's clothes also changes acording to the point in their relationships they are at Idk, maybe im reaching but thats my interpretation 🥰
honestly this movie should have been all that i wanted but i got incredibly bored by what felt like very fatty parts. there were multiple times when i felt frustrated because they were just showing a 100x slowed down shot for 30+ seconds like one or two of those would have been chill…. but it was like every scene. it felt like they could have cut a half hour or more of this movie’s screen time without actually changing a single iota of the plot/scenery.
but yeah i mean if they want to claim the repetitive shots and extreeeeme use of slow-mo is like a tennis match… fair. but damn this movie should not have been so boring.
This film made me confident that he could handle a new 'Prince of Tennis' film. Also, sorry that 'I Saw the TV Glow' is being ignored HARD in most states, especially at mine. Most theaters only have 1 time slot that doesn't work with my schedule. Looks like it'll be a possible must-see once it hits TV or streaming.
The most interesting thing I find about how people have reacted to the chemistry between Art and Patrick, is that in America we see two men display closeness and affection and it’s labeled “gay” and “homoerotic” but if you follow Professional Tennis culture, most of the pros on the ATP tour (especially the ones in the top 100), show a lot of affection towards each other on court like at the end of match handshake and off the court when doing press conferences and media promotions. Tennis bromance is pretty normalized on the tour.
@@AmandaTheJediYay! For the record, I'm already planning on rewriting it for the Mario Brothers! Believe it or not, it will still be extremely respectful to the source material!
How can anyone hate the ending? I think it's up there with the greatest film endings ever. I love the idea of the churro scene being the most homoerotic, you're right I think. That and the flirting during their final match, and the final shot. And that sauna scene, poor Patrick. Art is so mean there, but I think he's really sad and defended. I love what you say about how he's closed in on himself. Also when it comes to sex scenes, I think Luca knows less is more. He filmed a lot of graphic naked sex scenes for Call Me by Your Name, and then didn't ever use them. I don't mind sex scenes, I think the graphic sex in God's Own Country for example works really well. But I think Luca's style is brilliant because it's all there in the sub text.
Managed to finally catch this on the plane ride home! Then got home and watched your video again. Your commentary was spot on as always, but since you mentioned Luca's other two forays with the Chalamet, did you know he was a serious contender to play Art before Mike Faist was cast?
When I first saw the trailer for this, I thought it looked like a Lifetime movie. But now it’s getting good reviews? so I don’t think they marketed it very well
