Very loosely based on a table-tennis champion from the late 1950s, Marty Supreme stars Timothee Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a rising player intent on becoming recognized as the best in the world, no matter what the cost.
To achieve his ping-pong dream, Marty relies on con-man tactics: tricking amateurs in late-night matches, borrowing money he can’t pay back, lying to family and friends. (Like many hustlers, Marty puts more work into the scam than most people do in their 9-to-5 jobs.) It’s a lifestyle that leads from one crisis to the next, which director Josh Safdie captures with a hurtling intensity reminiscent of the Adam Sandler gambling movie Uncut Gems, which he co-directed with his brother Benny. (Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein wrote Marty Supreme and handled the editing; Gems was edited by Bronstein and Benny Safdie.)
Among the supporting cast, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tyler the Creator (credited as Tyler Okonma) both have some nice moments, but the standout is Odessa A’zion as Marty’s married neighbor, with whom he’s having an erratic affair. A’zion’s Rachel proves to be Marty’s hustling equal—and unlike him, she has a face you believe. Her performance is a powder keg of dangerous charisma, even if the plot requires Rachel to go a bit soft in order to keep them together. As for Chalamet, he’s mesmerizing: single-minded and maniacal. It’s hard—if unfair—to separate the performance from the inevitable Oscar campaign. (Marty says at one point, “Drama is very important to me. I don’t want to undercut the drama.”)
If Chalamet is a tad too insistent, he’s only following the movie’s lead. From a recurring dog bit that’s pushed one scene too far to the anachronistic needle drops by the likes of Peter Gabriel and Alphaville, Marty Supreme shows off in a way that begins to feel needy. Like Marty, the movie wants to impress us. And like Marty, there’s something about it I don’t trust.
(12/21/2025)
