Marty Supreme
Timothée Chalamet gives a career-defining performance in Josh Safdie's sprawling table tennis caper.
Timothée Chalamet has been everywhere the past couple of weeks. While some have scrutinized his comments about achieving greatness, deeming him entitled and egocentric, it all begins to make sense once you see him in the title role of Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme.” It is clearly an act. As his character Marty Mouser is a brat. No, not the Charli xcx kind of brat. But a brat in the old sense of the word. Hell, he even gets spanked in one scene in the film.
Just two months after his brother, Benny Safdie, debuted “The Smashing Machine,” Josh Safdie is now showing what he can do behind the camera without his brother. While it was initially disappointing to learn that the two would no longer be working together, it also meant that we got two Safdie productions in the same year. And while “The Smashing Machine” felt more like a fly-on-the-wall docudrama, “Marty Supreme” feels like it’s cut from exactly the same cloth as “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time.”
Set in the year 1952, “Marty Supreme” follows Marty Mauser, a professional table-tennis player who has a natural talent for the sport, but also has just as big of a mouth. He’s a lot, he’s cocky, overly confident, and abrasive. Yet there’s also something that draws us toward him. He’s also willing to go to extreme measures to get exactly what he wants, even if that puts his loved ones at risk.
Upon traveling to London for the British Open, Marty loses the biggest match of his career to the Japanese player (Koto Kawaguchi), and leaves feeling humiliated. After putting everything into this match, he reluctantly signs to tour as a half-time act for the Harlem Globetrotters where he performs tricks and novelty acts. Upon returning home, and learning that his married childhood best friend, Rachel (Odessa A’zion), is pregnant with his baby, he is determined to risk what little he has left once more to get to the World Championship in Tokyo, Japan.
Throughout the film we see Marty have a complicated relationship with pen magnate Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary), have a sexual affair with his wife, Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), a former silent film star, stage games for cash at a bowling alley with his best friend Wally (Tyler Okonma), and dog-sitting for a sketchy gangster (Abel Ferrara).
If that sounds like a lot, it is. “Marty Supreme” is a lot of movie. But it’s also an exhilarating cinematic experience that is among one of the very best films you’ll see this year. Similar to what he did with his brother on his last two films, Safdie plays into the feeling of sensory overload. And while “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems” were built around that claustrophobic feeling of anxiety and dread, “Marty Supreme” actually feels a bit more hopeful.
It’s loud and aggressive, but it also has something to say about growing up, the cost of pursuing one’s dreams, and what it means to “dream big.” It’s a deliberate mess of the movie, and in a way, Safdie has achieved the goal of his central character. He’s made something big and great.
“Marty Supreme” is not going to be a movie for everyone. For those who didn’t gel with the Safdies’ style before, this film likely won’t work for you. However, this still does feel incredibly accessible, especially in its scale and ambition.
You can say all you want about Chalamet’s press tour, but at nearly 30 years old, he’s already one of the best, most reliable actors in the business. His role as Marty Mauser may just be his best yet. The film allows him to flex his comedic chops while also being unafraid to portray a character that is so unlikable. Sure, he may have just portrayed a prick in “A Complete Unknown,” but that was Bob Dylan. Marty Mauser may be loosely based on a real-life table tennis player, but he’s entirely of Chalamet, Safdie, and co-writer Ronald Bronstein’s creation.
The ensemble surrounding Chalamet is ingenious. You may raise your eyebrow when you see that Kevin O’Leary has a major role in the movie, but he plays into his rich prick persona so extremely well. Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler Okonma, and Abel Ferrara are also excellent in their roles. The film’s biggest standout in its ensemble is undeniably Odessa A’zion, who plays the film’s moral compass and is one of the few who can actually reach Marty in some way.
“Marty Supreme” is excellent. It’s further proof of Chalamet’s star power and is an incredibly entertaining and stylish sports caper.