Going into Marty Supreme, I had high hopes. The reviews had been great for Timothee Chalamet’s new “sports” movie, and I am a fan of Josh Safdie’s work as a filmmaker. However, I didn’t expect to spend the better part of two-and-a-half hours with one of the most rotten, self-centered, and opportunistic characters in recent memory. I was even more shocked that I was not only captivated by Marty Mauser’s descent but also rooting for the prolific con artist.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that Chalamet’s character is one of the most unsympathetic and enraging characters I’ve seen in a long time, but also one of the most insanely likable, despite it all. The movie, which we gave a perfect score, makes you root for a terrible person, and I think that makes it even better. Allow me to explain…
There Have Been So Many Movie Hustlers Over The Years, But Marty Mauser Somehow Takes The Cake
Over the years, there has been no shortage of movies about hustlers charming their way to the top, only to be brought down by their own ego and desire to pull a fast one on every person they meet. Classics like The Hustler and The Sting, as well as The Color of Money and Catch Me If You Can, have taken audiences on journeys with characters who we just can’t get enough of, despite them being terrible people. Nothing against Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, or Leonardo DiCaprio, but I think Timothee Chalamet’s Marty Mauser takes the cake.
Throughout Marty Supreme, we see Chalamet’s self-described best ping-pong player in the world cheat, lie, and steal from his family, refuse to accept the fact he’s the father of his lover’s child, pull one con after another, and take little to no responsibility for his actions. No one is safe from Marty’s quest for greatness, not even himself. Frankly, he’s the worst.
Marty’s Just So Dang Charming, And That Makes Him Even Worse
It would be one thing if Marty Mauser, or at least the movie’s version of the real-life ping pong great, was an unlikable, uncharismatic prick. If that were the case, it would be easy to hate him and not have any qualms about seeing him get his comeuppance time and time again or digging his own grave on more than one occasion. However, that’s not the case, as this is, no joke, one of the most charismatic characters Timothee Chalamet has ever played, which is saying something.
Just look at the scene early on when Marty calls Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) on the phone and spends the next few minutes flirting with her and trying to convince her to meet up. The flirtatious speech, the trick he pulls off with the apple in the bowl, and his undeniable charm. They all work together to allow the conman to wrap Kay, as well as the audience, around his little finger. It’s a masterful scene, even if it made me feel like one of Marty’s marks.
Despite It All, I Found Myself Rooting For Marty At Times
Despite having some serious misgivings about Marty, his goals in life, and how he goes about achieving them, I kept finding myself rooting for the prolific con artist throughout Marty Supreme. It’s like he would be such an incredibly charismatic man in one scene that I would forget how he got himself into that position to begin with. Throughout the whole British Open section of the film, I kept forgetting that he essentially mistreated his mother, left a pregnant woman behind, and held a coworker at gunpoint before leaving New York. Not only that, but I found myself rooting for him to win the tournament and find glory on the global stage.
This kept happening time and time again as Marty’s downward spiral continued. After his embarrassing loss in the tournament final, I thought surely he’d find a way to pull himself back up. Even after one failed con led to another attempt, I kept rooting for Marty, despite knowing that he was causing irreparable damage to pretty much everyone around him. Friends, family, strangers getting crushed by a bathtub, etc., the list goes on, yet still I held out hope for the table tennis star.
The Exhibition Match Especially Messed With Me As A Moviegoer
Though a massive chunk of Marty Supreme’s runtime is spent following Marty coming up with various schemes to raise enough money to get to Tokyo and defeat Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi) at the World Championship (he ends up having to settle for a “rigged” exhibition match), there are some incredible ping pong moments here. If you cut out all of the drama and nefarious schemes by the deeply competitive Mauser, this becomes one of the best sports movies I’ve seen in years.
That said, this entire sequence messed me up as a moviegoer. Here I was, so captivated by Marty’s plan to get back at the ruthless businessman who publicly embarrassed him (and paddled him in front of his equally wealthy friends) and defeat the competitor who made him look like a child on the global stage that I forgot how Marty got there in the first place. I’m not saying he wasn’t talented, but there are multiple reasons why he didn’t get there on merit alone.
Then there’s the moment he finally beats Endo. Conventional sports movie wisdom told me to throw my hands in the air and celebrate, which I did. However, a moment later, the movie cut to dejected and emotional Japanese fans upset by the outcome, and American generals jumping with joy. I put my hands down and slumped into my chair, accepting that I had been tricked.
Though I felt duped and tricked into rooting for a truly detestable character, I have no complaints. In fact, I feel like this shows that Josh Safdie and Timothee Chalamet were successful as a filmmaker and actor, respectively. Would I trust Marty Mauser with some money or expect him to do the right thing? No, not all. However, I would be entertained by what he did with that money, that’s for sure.
