Marty Supreme Review - Chaos incarnate with a ping pong paddle. Extraordinary.
- Chase Gifford
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
“Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.” - William E. Gladstone
*Small Warning: As I was editing this review I realized how many times I brought up Uncut Gems and Good Time. Heads up, it's a lot. It wasn't my intention but those films had certain style choices that were clearly carried over into Marty Supreme. The comparisons were inevitable. Just sayin'...*
After seeing Good Time, the Safdie Brothers’ third feature, and hearing them speak of their inspirations like Martin Scorsese, I could see his influence throughout that entire film. And Uncut Gems only confirmed the grittiness and living organism that comprises New York, that Scorsese is famous for capturing, will live on long after Scorsese. While not the singular voices of these kinds of stories, I believe they will be prominent for many years to come. Even when they deviate from the NYC setting, I’m sure their style will remain ever present.
Benny took on the complicated career of real-life MMA fighter, Mark Kerr. It’s a perfectly serviceable film but doesn’t rise to the levels of their previous efforts like Good Time and Uncut Gems. Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial outing is set to premiere worldwide, Christmas 2025. Less than a month from writing this. It’s the story of Marty Mauser, an up and coming table tennis phenom. What’s so fascinating about this story is the approach Safdie has taken with it. A movie about a ping pong player doesn’t sound all that exciting, borderline head-scratching as to why anyone should care. But like all movies, it just needs a chance.
Luckily I got my chance about eleven days ago and it burrowed its way into my top ten of the year, potentially even my top five. It is phenomenal and a primary reason for this is the unexpected style choices reminiscent of his previous efforts like Uncut Gems. To take such a manic energy like Uncut Gems and apply it to this story makes for one of the most exciting films of the year. And one of the most unexpected. Calling Marty Supreme a movie about a ping pong talent trying to make it to the World Table Tennis Championships in Japan you would be selling a mere fraction of what this story holds in store. It is a story of blind perseverance, unfettered courage, and immense, off-putting selfishness.
I remember watching Uncut Gems for the first time. It genuinely stressed me out. I think it’s a masterful crime caper but its intentions are to induce anxiety in the audience mirroring its main character. It puts you in his shoes forcing you to imagine being so obstinate in the face of such obvious danger and reprehensible, immoral human beings.
On its surface Marty Supreme is very much about a table tennis nobody trying to become a somebody. But it’s also a story that asks when belief can go too far. Belief in oneself, belief in your life’s purpose, and belief that any effort, however amoral it seems, is worth doing if your justifications for doing so outweigh its inherent loneliness and animosity from others. The odd part about this character is his likeability. Even when he’s doing some questionable things, you still root for him. I think maybe this is in part because of Timothée Chalamet’s natural charisma. He has an energy about him that matches the maddening, completely crazed pacing and stylistic choices of the story that surrounds his absolutely electric performance. I know he wanted Oscar gold for A Complete Unknown, but this may just be his best shot yet at Oscar glory.
Beyond the energy of two professional table tennis players going head-to-head, there is the journey of trying to achieve something that seemingly no one else believes in and oddly behaving as though they don’t want it to happen, as if they don’t want him to succeed. When you take this into account, his controversial behavior doesn’t always seem so outlandish. You don’t necessarily condone his actions but in contention with so many unethical people you can look past certain behavioral inadequacies that he displays a bit too often if I’m honest. He’s not a person to aspire to be but he’s also just a human fighting for his dreams. In that regard, he’s quite admirable.
The unexpected nature of this story comes from the frantic way of telling this man’s journey which involves accumulating a large sum of money in a short amount of time. This causes him to make decisions that bring out the worst in people. He faces deceit and even jail time. And much like Uncut Gems, this is a damn stressful journey emphasizing the seemingly unending, unyielding obstacles standing between success and failure. There’s theft, gun violence, corruption, domestic abuse, and of course ping pong.
Chalamet’s performance is fantastic but I believe for every award worthy role, there is the supporting cast that in every way elevates both the lead’s performances as well as the story itself. Odessa A’zion as Rachel is at times tragic, downtrodden and always fascinating to watch. She’s also quite funny at times, matching the absurdity of this chaos tornado that is Marty Mauser’s life. Gwyneth Paltrow plays scorned actress and reluctant wife with a determined kind of vexation. She truly feels like a seasoned actor showing the new guy how it’s done. A real surprise is Tyler Okonma, better known as Tyler the Creator. Who knew this guy could act?! He matches Chalamet’s energy beat for beat acting as his partner in crime of sorts helping Marty along his path of self discovery and hard-learned life lessons. All with a paddle in hand and unwavering determination in their hearts.
Set in 1950’s New York and journeying all the way to Japan, this is the tale of one man’s unshakeable perseverance as a self-proclaimed table tennis extraordinaire. To get to the ultimate competition and to put some respect on America’s name as a table tennis powerhouse, Marty must go to extreme lengths to procure transportation and enough funding to make his name a household fixture in the world of professional ping pong. He will face monumental obstacles that would force most to rethink their entire lives. For Marty these moments are merely speedbumps on a long road to the ultimate victory.
Marty Supreme is extraordinary. For a story about ping pong, it sure provides a lot of backstory and sidequests adding up to one of the most stressful, manic, panic inducing and unbelievably enthralling sports dramas of the last decade. The acting is exceptional, with the Safdies’ ability to cast unknowns who deliver such memorable moments. The cinematography has a grittiness to it heightening the stakes, the turmoil, and the triumph of the human spirit. But this is a Safdie film so the caustic nature of people is prevalent throughout this story and at times it can be thoroughly deflating. All of this is scored by a perfectly built collection of songs, original and otherwise, making this small story feel gargantuan. I hoped for something great and it delivered tenfold.
Rated R For: language throughout, sexual content, some violent content/bloody images and nudity
Runtime: 150 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Drama, Sports
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Odessa A'zion, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler the Creator
Directed By: Josh Safdie
Out of 10
Story: 10/ Acting: 10/ Directing: 9/ Visuals: 9
OVERALL: 9.5/10
Buy to Own: Yes.
In theaters Christmas Day.
Check out the trailer below: