In the 1950s, Marty Mauser is a table tennis ace, representing the United States in a world tournament in England, where he befriends former actress Kay Stone and crosses paths with her entrepreneur husband, Milton Rockwell. Upon returning to American shores, he finds his life in shambles, doing what’s necessary to keep his life together when his past sins catch up with him. Will he manage to get his act together and his finances straight to travel to Japan for a rematch with the rival who beat him at the last tournament?
The Safdie Brothers have been making a name for themselves in recent years on both sides of the screen. Several years ago, UNCUT GEMS, directed by the twosome, became revered by critics, even though this moviegoer didn’t quite see the appeal. This time around, a single Safdie Brother, Josh, has stepped into the director’s chair with an ensemble cast and another high intensity tale.
It wouldn’t be award’s season without an award-worthy Timothee Chalamet performance, would it? 2025 is no exception to that rule.
MARTY SUPREME is a master class in creating intensity that never dies down; the Safdies already proved themselves masters of this in earlier big screen creations. What it fails to do, however, is to create a single likable character, or narrow its focus. A running time of about 30 minutes longer than the movie needed to be doesn’t help the situation either.
Let’s start by addressing the best thing about MARTY SUPREME, that being its leading man. It seems like every Oscar season brings about a Timothee Chalamet role that merits serious Best Actor consideration. This film is no exception. Make no mistake; his character is not likable or sympathetic in the least. He lies, he cheats, he steals, he does what’s necessary to survive with no thoughts of the consequences or what will be coming around the corner. He’s an adulterer and a con artist who’ll never step up to take responsibility for his actions. I can’t say that I ever found myself rooting for the guy, or even liking this character, but hats off to Mr. Chalamet for once again showing off his diversity and capability as an actor as few others in Hollywood today could do.
The remainder of the cast is well selected, though the film doesn’t quite know what to do with its supporting cast, with many of them getting the shaft and being cast aside; this is Chalamet’s movie first and foremost. Among the supporting cast, the best performances come from Gwyneth Paltrow portraying an ex-actress who becomes an object of Marty’s affections and desires, her businessman husband portrayed by famed entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary. Even Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame) shows up in a practically unrecognizable role and makes an impact. It’s a great cast of all-stars. The movie hints at a troubled relationship between Marty and his mother, played by Fran Drescher, but never bothers exploring this, leaving the famed actress with little to do.
The first of the two biggest flaws of MARTY SUPREME is that the movie bites off more than it can chew. Away from the table tennis tournaments, Marty is dealing with a troubled family life, trying to get an orange ping pong ball on the market, shying away from responsibility from the woman he got pregnant who’s since married an abusive man, facing charges from an earlier attempt to get money for his trip to a tournament, being a support/novelty act alongside the Harlem Globetrotters, running afoul of gangsters with deep pockets, being shot at by a disgruntled man with a shotgun, hustling people to get money to pay the fines he must to participate in his next tournament, and beginning an affair with a much older woman. Wow. That’s a lot to swallow. And certainly way too much for one film. The movie succeed in creating discomfort and tensity. But that doesn’t mean it’s fun to watch for two-and-a-half hours.
And the other flaw? The movie’s failure to create a single likable character. The title character, as I feel I’ve demonstrated throughout this review, is as unsympathetic as humanly imaginable. The rest of the movie is populated by abusers, gangsters, and all manners of riff-raff where it’s hard to feel sorrow or sympathy for anyone. In many ways this feels like UNCUT GEMS all over again, albeit with a younger protagonist. This is certainly a better film than that one, but it doesn’t mean it’s something I ever want to watch again.
I’m split on MARTY SUPREME. Timothee Chalamet shows off his range beautifully here in a difficult-to-watch performance, but the rest of the cast don’t get enough to do. Too many of them are given roles that simply don’t make them interesting or sympathetic. I can’t in all honesty recommend the film, but it may be worth watching at least once simply for Chalamet’s performance. Just be warned that it’s not tame or for the faint of heart.