Who knew a movie about a ping pong player could be this exciting? Josh Safdie is bringing his film Marty Supreme to audiences everywhere this holiday season and this is one you’re not going to want to miss. Especially if you love Timothée Chalamet.
Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a young man who has big dreams of being the biggest name in table tennis in America. It starts with him trying to get his money that his uncle promised him to go overseas and prove himself. But his ego becomes too much and Marty’s ideas of being the best there ever was pushes him to make decisions that are selfish, determined, and complicated.
Anyone who has had the idea of wanting something more for themselves can probably relate to Marty. I did. He just has tunnel vision for his dream and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there and it is something that many relate to. But Safdie and Chalamet made something special with Marty Supreme in the sense that even when Marty (and therefore Chalamet’s performance) seems like the most important thing happening, the supporting cast shows that it isn’t just Marty’s world.
Gwyneth Paltrow plays Kay Stone, a former starlet who is now married to an incredibly rich man (Kevin O’Leary) that Marty is trying to use. Both Paltrow and Marty’s love interest Rachel (Odessa A’zion) are drawn into Marty’s orbit and still are fully formed characters outside of Marty’s influence. Wally (Tyler, The Creator) is Marty’s best friend and right hand man and even he takes a stand against Marty.
All those moving parts play beautifully into Marty’s game against real life table tennis player Koto Kawaguchi. Again, I ask: Who knew that a movie about ping pong could be this thrilling?
Love isn’t easy and neither is table tennis
One of the most beautiful aspects of Marty Supreme comes from Marty’s relationship with Rachel. The two start their relationship in secret and as the film goes on, Rachel keeps coming back to Marty even though he’s very clearly more dedicated to table tennis. But I love how A’zion balances her own desires, lies, and determination in the same way that Marty does.
They’re not perfect people, far from characters we should cheer for, and yet both Chalamet and A’zion manage to make audiences want to root for these two. Rachel clearly wants to feel the rush of adventure and when Marty accidentally ropes her into his nonsense, she throws herself into it head first and it makes for one of the most thrilling final acts to a movie in a long while. Again….with ping pong!
Dream Big
Chalamet has time and time again proven that fans will watch his work. But with Marty Supreme, he’s shown us that he can make even the most unlikable of characters worth cheering for. Marty is selfish, rude, and determined. He doesn’t care who he hurts and will do whatever it takes so he can achieve his dreams. All of that should make an audience hate him and yet I was captivated by him.
Often, we see determination as a negative thing. But everyone you know who is famous has that same drive that Marty does. Yes, they may not do the same things he is willing to do to achieve his goals, but that determination is the same within us all.
Marty Supreme is beautiful to watch, the choice by Safdie to shoot on 35mm film brings you into the thick of the story and is just gorgeous to watch, and all of this makes Marty Supreme one of the best movies of the year.
Chalamet once spoke about wanting an Oscar in a way that rubbed people the wrong way. He openly shared his determination for it and wasn’t afraid of saying so. That was very Marty Mauser of him and it only made his performance that much stronger for me. This might be Chalamet’s Oscar winning role but no matter what, this is a movie that will have us all asking one question: Should I get into table tennis?
(featured image: A24)
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