‘Challengers’ Is Almost Sexy

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( movie review [Challengers Is Almost a Sexy Adult Drama]( Just like it’s almost a good tennis film, and almost the mature starring role Zendaya needed. Photo: Niko Tavernise/MGM What makes for a great cinematic kiss? The kind of kiss that enraptures an audience because they can feel it in their very bones. The kind of kiss that brings to mind young love long past or the need for something fresh and illicit. A great cinematic kiss is predicated on chemistry and characterization, framing and pacing, but ultimately its success rests on the answer to a single question: Is this the kind of kiss you want to have? Relatively early in Challengers, director Luca Guadagnino’s peripatetic drama about tennis pros, there’s a kiss — a series of first kisses, really — shared between leading actors Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor. It takes place 13 years prior to the film’s main timeline. [read more]( [Anniversary Sale: Celebrate with $20 off unlimited access, plus get a free anniversary tote.]( [Anniversary Sale: Celebrate with $20 off unlimited access, plus get a free anniversary tote.]( The Latest TV Recaps • The Sympathizer: [American Nightmare]( • The Jinx: [Beverley Hills]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [An Exploited Neighborhood, Seen Through Children’s Eyes Minhal Baig’s We Grown Now tells the story of two childhood best friends in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project.]( [Is The Tortured Poets Department Really About Matty Healy? We combed through all 31 tracks to see.]( [Foreigner’s Hot-Blooded Rock Hall Campaign Paid Off Mark Ronson led a weirdly blatant campaign, which included Paul McCartney, for the band to be inducted.]( By Devon Ivie [Dancing on the Surface in Cabaret and Orlando Atmosphere is all in the loose hustle and bustle of a pre-show, but in a play proper, it can only carry you so far.]( By Sara Holdren [Bluey Gives Us a Sign This episode of the beloved children’s series could be its first misstep. Or a perfect ending.]( By Kathryn VanArendonk [Ryan Reynolds Gets Pegged by the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine The first trailer is out, and it looks Feige-ing awesome.]( By Rebecca Alter [Man on the Moon Felled by Earth’s Gravity Translation: Kid Cudi broke his foot after jumping off his Coachella stage.]( By Zoe Guy [Kevin Bacon Is Going to the Footloose School’s Final Prom Bacon and the teens made care packages for his charity. On 4/20. Ren would never.]( By Tom Smyth [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Vulture Games [Today’s Crossword]( 22-Down, Four letters: Like Stephen King’s stories Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty [Today’s Cinematrix]( Can you name an M. Night Shyamalan movie that begins with a vowel? Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, Jason Mendez/WireImage [Pretty Major at Union Hall]( Photo: Vulture Tomorrow at Union Hall at 7 p.m., Vulture’s comedy show Pretty Major will be hosted by Jay Jurden and Zach Zimmerman and feature comedy from Simon Brodkin, George Civeris, Janine Harouni, and Madi Hart. [Buy tickets here](. A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved