Like me, you probably had no interest in seeing Zendaya’s new tennis movie, “Challengers.” The trailer, which has been relentlessly pushed, showcased what appeared to be very much a movie of our times — and that’s not a compliment. Who wants to watch Zendaya, whose masculine brooding typecast is already off-putting, emasculate two guys in a weird, gay love triangle? I’ve had enough Girl Bosses for a lifetime. Plus, tennis was never my thing.
But then I heard whispers on Twitter. It was good. Really good. And not at all what the trailer made it seem. Could this feminist blockbuster possibly be right-coded? One poster even described it as “fascistic” — and for him, that was a compliment. I figured it was worth going to see for myself. Man, did it not disappoint.
“Challengers” is not really about…
