Timothée Chalamet has never been better than in “Marty Supreme,” Josh Safdie’s electrifying comedy-drama about a big pain in the ass with a big dream. Chalamet gradually built a memorable career in a short period of time, but with Marty Mauser, he landed the role he was seemingly born to play. It’s the type of performance you watch and think, “I can’t imagine anyone else in this role.” Marty is the kind of guy you probably wouldn’t want to hang around for very long, given that his constant agitation and rude behavior attracts a never-ending stream of trouble. And yet, Chalamet hits all the right notes here, somehow making this force of chaos a charmer. We can’t help but root for this guy, even when he makes one destructive decision after another.
Like “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems,” which Safdie co-directed with his brother Benny, “Marty Supreme” is about a guy going through a series of misadventures in the name of a big break — even if that means other people get hurt along the way. But “Marty Supreme” doesn’t feel like Safdie is repeating himself. Instead, it finds the filmmaker, now working solo, at his most refined; One of the most impressive things about the film is the sense of control over all this chaos.
“Marty Supreme” is like a runaway train that could derail at any moment – but Safide and his cast are able to get it safely to the station. Everyone here does a good job (perhaps most surprisingly is non-actor Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, who is a bit too good (playing a morally suspect billionaire), but Chalamet is the key to unlocking everything. I never I didn’t like Chalamet, but after watching it here I can say that I finally “get” what all the hype is about.
Marty Supreme is laugh-out-loud funny while taking Marty’s big dreams seriously
Inspired (loosely, I hope, for the sake of everyone involved) by the life of table tennis champion Marty Reisman, “Marty Supreme” is set in the 1950s and immerses us in the bustling life of Marty Mauser, a New York kid with a big dream. This dream: to become a star in the world of table tennis, in other words ping-pong. The game isn’t really taken seriously in the United States, but Marty thinks if he wins big competitions overseas he can change that. Marty is so focused on achieving his dream that he is in a constant state of restlessness, sprinting from place to place, in the name of making enough money to get where he needs to be.
This may seem a bit silly, and indeed, “Marty Supreme” is funny on several occasions. But for Marty, his dream is everything. He takes it very seriously, even if it leaves ruins along the way. His mother (Fran Drescher) is struggling financially, and his lifelong friend Rachel (an immensely charming Odessa A’zion) has just become pregnant with Marty’s child – even though she is married to another man (Emory Cohen). Problems begin to pile up in Marty’s life, but he remains completely convinced that once he achieves his big dream, everything will fall into place.
At one point, Marty draws attention to Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), a once-famous actress who hasn’t made a film in a few years but is hoping for a return to the stage. They embark on an affair, and one of the film’s most revealing moments comes during one of their post-coital interactions. When Kay pointedly asks Marty what he’ll do if he can’t turn his dreams into reality, he arrogantly replies, “That doesn’t even cross my mind.” Failure is not an option. Does Marty In fact does he have such blind faith in himself, or is he so terrified of thinking about the alternative that he has no choice but to keep moving? Chalamet handles this potential internal conflict masterfully, finding a way to make Marty seem both totally convincing and completely full of shit.
Marty Supreme is one of the best films of the year
As Marty continues to have sexual liaisons with Kay, he also attracts the attention of her incredibly wealthy husband, Milton Rockwell (O’Leary), who has made his fortune from a feather empire. Rockwell may be Marty’s golden goose, but the young man is so determined to do things his way that he causes complications. Then again, Rockwell is clearly bad news (what billionaire isn’t?), so getting mixed up with him might not be the best idea. Through it all, Marty continues to crash catastrophically against various memorable characters played by surprising faces, like Tyler Okonma, aka Tyler, the Creator, as Marty’s ping-pong-playing friend Wally, or movie legend Abel Ferrara as a potentially dangerous dog owner. Safdie has populated the film with oddballs and eccentrics, all of whom leave their distinct mark on this fast-paced odyssey.
Safdie’s direction and editing (he co-edited the picture with Ronald Bronstein) keeps things moving at a breakneck pace, so much so that you’ll never feel the breathtaking 149 minutes. Daniel Lopatin’s thrilling score, mixed with anachronistic 80s pop songs on the soundtrack, gives the whole thing a vibrant and thrilling aura, as do the genuinely thrilling table tennis scenes. I don’t know how much of the film’s trickery was used to make it seem like Chalamet and his co-stars were really playing the sport, all I know is that the film makes these scenes explosive and authentic. I never thought I’d be on the edge of my seat watching someone play ping pong, and yet here we are.
All of this makes for a heartbreaking film, but I suspect none of it would play out as well without Chalamet, who is the focus of virtually every scene except for one or two moments. If you’ve met someone like Marty in real life, you might want to get as far away from them as possible, and yet Chalamet is so good at making this jerk likable that you’re won over by his story – it all builds to an incredibly emotional crescendo that packs a real punch. This is easily the best performance of Timothée Chalamet’s career, and “Marty Supreme” is one of the best films of the year. I can’t wait to see him again.
/Film rating: 10 out of 10
“Marty Supreme” hits theaters on December 25, 2025.
