Marty Supreme review

MARTY SUPREME: 

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET TABLE TENNIS MOVIE IS ONE CRAZY RIDE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

A24

Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme

 

            Timothée Chalamet (Little Women (2019), Dune: Parts 1 and 2, A Complete Unknown) and director Josh Safdie (Heaven Knows What, Good Time, Uncut Gems) join forces to bring the most insane movie about table tennis to the screen in Marty Supreme, the new sports comedy-drama released by A24 loosely based on real-life table tennis player Marty Reisman. This is also the second feature film directed by one of the Safdie Brothers and distributed by A24 this year following Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine which came out a few months ago. 

            I was interested in seeing this when it was announced, Uncut Gems was one of my favorite films from 2019 and I’m always curious to know what the Safdie Brothers are going to do next whether collaborative or solo projects. However, I will say the trailers for this movie seriously downplayed the chaos audiences would be in for because holy fuck! 

            Marty Supreme is non-stop tension and insanity from beginning to end with no time to breathe, very much like what Uncut Gems did for betting except with ping-pong. It is also hands down one of the best films of the year with Chalamet giving yet another Oscar-worthy performance and the film itself being intense, funny, and riveting all at the same time. 

            The film is set in 1952 New York City and follows Marty Mauser (Chalamet) working as a shoe salesman while also competing professionally as a ping-pong player. Marty needs to make it from New York to a championship in Tokyo, Japan in order to become the best and quite literally goes to hell and back in his pursuit of greatness. 

            The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow (Se7en, Shakespeare in Love, Marvel Cinematic Universe) as actress Kay Stone, Odessa A’zion (Hellraiser (2022), I Love LA, Until Dawn) as Marty’s childhood friend Rachel Mizler, Kevin O’Leary (Shark Tank) as Milton Rockwell, Tyler, the Creator as Marty’s friend and taxi driver Wally, Abel Ferrara (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, The Funeral) as Ezra Mishkin, Fran Drescher (Spinal Tap 1 and 2, The Nanny, Hotel Transylvania franchise) as Marty’s mother Rebecca Mauser, Luke Manley as Marty’s friend Dion Galanis, Emory Cohen (The Place Beyond the Pines, The Bikeriders, Roofman) as Rachel’s husband Ira Mizler, Sandra Bernhard (The King of Comedy, Roseanne, Severance) as Judy, and Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller as Hoff. 

            Overall, Marty Supreme is 2 ½ hours of non-stop, fast-paced tension and characters constantly making one bad decision after another to the point where this might as well be a canonical prequel to Uncut Gems because Timothée Chalamet is basically doing almost the exact same things Adam Sandler did in that movie just with table tennis. This feels more in line with the Safdie Brothers’ other work than Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine because it has the anxiety-provoking filmmaking techniques, constant barrage of characters screaming and yelling at each other, and shocking situations with equally shocking resolutions on top of just about every character in this being a complete asshole and I was glued to the screen throughout the entire runtime. 

            It’s very difficult to have a story revolving around a completely unlikable protagonist let alone every character being unlikable and still make audiences care about them, but thankfully Timothée Chalamet’s Marty, a con-man and hustler who hustles people out of money to pursue his professional ping-pong player dream is very interesting and compelling as a character to keep you invested amidst the shit he’s getting himself and others into. 

            Speaking of which, Timothée Chalamet deserves all the praise he’s been getting for this and easily deserves a Best Actor nomination and maybe even win for his performance as Marty. He is absolutely fantastic here and works in the same way Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems did where the performance itself is an intense roller coaster as you’re constantly watching Chalamet fight to achieve his dream and get the money he needs in a short amount of time, but through bad decisions after bad decisions, you can’t look away from him, he’s an endearing douchebag protagonist who’s like the Saul Goodman of ping-pong. 

            Gwyneth Paltrow is also very good as this former screen actress moving onto stage work that Marty befriends-ish?…Fucks---ish? Forget about it! She has some great bits and has strong chemistry with Chalamet whenever they’re onscreen together. 

            Honestly, the entire cast is filled with standouts even if they’re only minor roles, Fran Drescher as Marty’s mother, Odessa A’zion as Marty’s friend who is having an affair with him, Kevin O’Leary playing Kevin O’Leary playing a snooty businessman, and Luke Manley as Marty’s friend who helps him launch a ping-pong ball line to name a few are all memorable and leave a lasting impression once it’s over. This may be The Chalamet Show, but I’m glad the supporting cast isn’t filled with one-note and forgettable characters. 

            Marty Supreme is a film that’s more than worthy of its “Supreme” name because this is a tension-filled, anxiety-provoking roller coaster of a movie that blends intense and horrific situations that get your adrenaline pumping with a dark sense of humor. Add a stellar Timothée Chalamet performance and visceral direction by Josh Safdie and you got yourself a winning formula for greatness in the most insane ways imaginable.