‘Marty Supreme’ Review

‘Marty Supreme’ is a thrillingly unconventional sports movie, and not just because it is about ping pong. Our titular hero is scrappy, but he’s no underdog. Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) is an arrogant lout, a sore loser who is as offensive as he is good. His opponent, Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), on the other hand is a true fairy tale story, having lost his hearing as a child during an American bombing raid on Japan. Where Marty is brash and egotistical, Endo is quiet and professional, more of the typical hero while Marty is an easy-to-hate villain.

And yet by following Marty’s quest to prove himself the greatest table tennis player on the planet, Josh Safdie has delivered a subversive yet intoxicating sports drama, filled with tension and anxiety, humor and thrills, even if there might be one plot thread too many.

Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty Mauser, a shoe salesman in New York with dreams of becoming the greatest table tennis player in the world. But that’s not quite true, Marty knows he’s the greatest in the world, but he wants to compete overseas to prove it to all of his doubters and receive the global acclaim and the superstar lifestyle he knows he deserves. But to compete in these global tournaments, Marty must first raise money for travel and lodgings, with much of the movie portraying the time in between tournaments, when Marty hustles with friends, skirts responsibilities and schmoozes anybody and everybody he thinks might be of use to him in his quest for table tennis glory.

Marty Mauser possesses a uniquely American arrogance, so convinced in his own purpose and gifts that he treats everybody else in his life like an NPC, moving through the world with a sense of entitlement for the finer things and anger at those he sees as lesser people living the luxurious life that should be reserved for visionaries such as himself. Time and again, Marty insists that the only way he is willing to succeed is by achieving his goals all by himself, ignorant to just how much he exploits other people’s kindness, squeezing every relationship in his life for all it’s worth if it will get him one step closer to his goals.

In a sentence that has been repeated for so many movies in the past several years: Timothée Chalamet turns in an electric performance. The character of Marty has less in common with any of Chalamet’s latest roles than he does Adam Sandler’s Howard from the Safdie Brothers’ ‘Uncut Gems’. Marty is fast talking and obnoxious, a wannabe charmer devoid of any actual charm who constantly gets in his own way, committing so many unforced errors that make his already improbable ambitions seemingly impossible.

Gwyneth Paltrow is nuanced and enigmatic as Kay Stone, an erstwhile Hollywood starlet taken in by Marty’s total commitment to showmanship and greatness. As Marty’s on again/off again romantic fling, Rachel, Odessa A’zion alternates between timid victim and destructive hurricane with shocking ease, creating a character who matches Marty’s own self destructive tendencies.

The rest of the ensemble, from Tyler Okonma to Abel Ferrara, deliver memorable turns that add texture and authenticity to a 1950s New York filled with hustlers all pursuing their own idea of the American Dream.

The music throughout, both its original score by Daniel Lopatin and its anachronistic needle drops, elevates the material, alternating between dreamlike melancholy and synth based energy, as if to evoke training montages from the glut of ‘Rocky’ sequels from the 1980s, further enhancing the sports movie credentials for this table tennis saga.

Josh Safdie’s direction is ambitious and masterful, never losing sight of his central plot and character arcs even as he layers in so much more flash, including a CGI recreation of sperm penetrating an egg and a 1950s newsreel depicting the heroic journey of Marty’s rival, Koto Endo. As a result, ‘Marty Supreme’ is thematically and psychologically rich, while providing so many thrilling, memorable set pieces.

Even with one too many things going on, even with its array of maddening characters, ‘Marty Supreme’ is a riveting achievement that meshes disparate genres with ease – sports drama, crime thriller, romance – and delivers a memorable, entertaining and thought-provoking triumph.

Marty Supreme
Rated R for language throughout, sexual content, some violent content/bloody images and nudity.
Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Director Josh Safdie
Writers Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
Stars Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher
Rating R
Running Time 150 Minutes
Genres Drama, Sport