Challengers is certainly living up its name, as the Zendaya-led sports drama is set to compete for Golden Globes,,,in the Comedy/Musical category. Perhaps it’s time to reevaluate what’s considered a comedy these days. FX’s The Bear, despite its popularity and status as one of the best shows on television, has come under scrutiny for competing in the comedy categories at the major award ceremonies despite appearing to be more of a drama. This has become even more of a problem as the series typically sweeps every comedy category it’s in, taking awards from series that tend to have wall-to-wall comedic moments.
Now, in another bizarre move, Challengers, which is commonly called a romantic sports drama, will potentially be alongside other comedies and musicals should it land any Golden Globe nominations. Per The Gold Derby, Challengers has officially submitted in the Best Comedy/Musical category at the Golden Globes, the awards ceremony run by The Hollywood Foreign Press. This goes for all the major comedy/musical categories, including Best Picture and Best Actress (for Zendaya). Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist are both being submitted in the Supporting Actor category, which doesn’t split up its nominees by genre. This follows suit with another sports drama from last year, Air, directed by Ben Affleck, which also submitted in this category, going on to be nominated for Best Picture in a Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Matt Damon.
Challengers is arguably one of the best films of the year and, based on its own merits, should compete in the category it most represents, which is drama. Sure, there are some funny moments and a few funny lines, but the premise is far from a laughing matter and the toxicity of the three-way relationship played against the backdrop of tennis does not leave the audience with a wide open grin on their faces. The move is clearly being made to ensure that Challengers is represented at the ceremony and with it being led by Zendaya, one of the biggest stars working in the business today, The Hollywood Foreign Press wants to ensure that it has her star power in attendance, should she or the film be nominated.
Challengers Isn’t a Comedy…but This Hasn’t Stopped the Golden Globes Before
The Golden Globes are known for making moves like this, previously doing so with Ridley Scott’s 2015 science fiction film, The Martian. The movie was nominated in the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Category and the Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy category (again for Matt Damon), going on to win both awards. Even Scott was confused by it when he accepted its Best Picture win because just about anyone who saw the film didn’t think it was a comedy despite having some moments of levity.
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The Golden Globes changed the comedy qualification rules after The Martian won, stating that “dramas with comedic overtones should be entered as dramas.” Perhaps they should follow their own rules because that seems to describe Challengers, a drama that certainly has some darkly comedic moments and a wicked delivery of dialogue, but still, at its core, is a drama. As it’s competing against the likes of Emilia Perez and Wicked, Challengers might look out of place.
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Directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers dives into a love triangle that involves an injured tennis star-turned-coach named Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), her tennis-pro husband Art Donaldson (Faist) and her low-circuit tennis player ex Patrick Zweig (O’Connor). The complicated relationship between the three spans thirteen years, and it all comes down to the two men facing off at the ATP Challenger Tour.