Challengers: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity.
A stylish, intense sports drama about a love triangle, better for older teens and adults. Two tennis players who were once best friends compete on the court and off it for the same woman across many years. Expect about 45 f-words, constant sexual tension, a charged three-way kissing scene, foreplay on a dorm bed, sex in a car and hotel rooms kept above the shoulders, and full-frontal male nudity in locker-room sauna and shower scenes. The characters manipulate and cheat on each other, and teens drink and smoke. There's almost no violence beyond a jarring knee injury. The sexual content and nudity are why we suggest 16.
What's in it
Violence
MildAlmost none. Tashi's knee gives out in a loud, close-up injury that leaves her with surgical scars. Rackets are smashed, and arguments include a slap, a shove and spitting.
Language
StrongPlugged In counted about 45 f-words and a handful of s-words, plus 'bitch,' crude words for female anatomy and several misuses of God's and Jesus' names.
Sex and nudity
StrongSteamy kissing and fondling, including a three-way kiss that ends with the two young men kissing, a visible erection through boxers, and talk of the boys masturbating together at 12. Sex in a car is shown from the shoulders up. Sauna and shower scenes show brief full-frontal male nudity.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateThe leads drink beer, wine and liquor and smoke cigarettes, including as teens in the early scenes. No drug use is shown.
Scary or intense scenes
MildNothing scary. The most jolting moment is a sudden, painful knee injury on court; otherwise the tension comes from rivalry, jealousy and a marriage under strain.
Worth talking about
Tashi, Art and Patrick each use the others to get what they want. What separates healthy competition from manipulation, in sports and in relationships?
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, movieguide.org, the MPA. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.