I used to play a lot of tennis. I was a boy growing up in upper-crust Palo Alto, CA, where a lower-income, middle-class family didn't belong. My parents were flawed angels. They mortgaged themselves to the hilt to give us the "best" upbringing possible. And part of that was making me feel like I was in a class I never fit in by making me take tennis lessons.

I hate love triangles. I was in one in college, and while I came out on top, it ruined my relationship with a good friend. So watching it dramatized, given I lived through it, is not something I enjoy.

One of the psychological side effects of a love triangle is jealousy. Jealousy is a cancer in any relationship. The insecurity it creates causes irrational behaviors that are never a good thing. It can make you like someone way more than you do. The girl I "won" over eventually became my wife and the mother of my three sons. She's a wonderful woman, but we were incompatico from the start. There was always a guy, a former boyfriend, or a good friend who also liked her, creating an additional (unconscious) attraction that wasn't based on anything real.

The idea that a love triangle could go on for years or even decades makes me sick. That means the irrationality that drove the relationship, to begin with comes back and wrecks everything that you've earned.

I've been madly in love three times in my life. Given that I'm on the sunset side of 50, I can honestly say that I have been smitten once every 20 years of my existence. Love is a mind-killer. It's better than cocaine or molly--it's the highest high you can ever achieve. But it can cloud your thinking, which is not a big deal when you are young and a huge deal when you are not--life is complicated by an extended family and children.

Zendaya is awesome. Her character is complex. Yes, she's pretty to the eyes, but her likable personality makes her more endearing. She's just a fascinating character actor.

This is one of her best roles. Her character is complex, and her EQ is high. She knows what she wants. She's selfish, has a weird competitive pathology, and is attracted to the chaos that wrongly takes precedence over her family.

I did not like the random time jumps. I would've enjoyed this more if there had been more logic in how the backstories were presented. I sometimes got confused, especially in the third act, where I had no idea when in the movie I was.

The excessive sweating and slow motion in the finale were a bit much. I would've preferred a straight-up match between our "protagonists," showcasing the frustrations of these former friends as they battle it out. And how everything gets wrapped up (or not) left me wanting more.

But even with all my personal gripes over this, Challengers is very well-made and entertaining. More Zendaya, please.