- Directed by Josh Safdie, A24 Studio
- Written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein
- Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion
- Our rating 8/10, IMDb 8.1, Rotten Tomatoes 8.8/10
- Warning: Contains spoilers
Could this film have been 98 minutes instead of 150? Yes. Was it incredibly overstimulating? Also, yes. Seeing it in the cinema is much different I would think to seeing it at home. In the cinema, time does not exist and neither does logic when it comes to storylines, character development and endings. I will say, Timothée Chalamet is an incredible actor, probably one of the most diverse actors of our generation in terms of adaptability. His refusal to be type casted is always refreshing to see as he has been many different people through his performances. We have been romanced by Northern Italy in Call Me By Your Name (2017), thrown into theatrics by Wonka (2023) and electrified by his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (2024). Now her plays Marty Mauser in this hit periodical drama, loosely inspired by American table tennis Champion, Marty Reisman.
I love films that make me forget who the actor is behind the sharp line delivery and underneath the makeup. I was even more convinced by his table tennis skills, finding out he actually trained for seven years for the role after being approached for it in 2018, practicing in the desert between takes for his role in Dune (2021; 2024). It is no surprise as he has always been dedicated to his roles, where he did all the singing himself for A Complete Unknown (2024), also training for a number of years in advance. We have seen Timothée as many different people, not just characters. He carries his dedication for shapeshifting from the big screen into light-hearted SNL skits with Pete Davidson, and musical side-quests, appearing in rapper EsDeeKid’s 4Raws music video. Despite all the myth busting against the rap cameo being an affirmation of Chalamet’s true hip-pop alter ego, according to the BBC, it only confirms that Chalamet is quite the chameleon.
Marty Supreme reinforces his skill, with stark comparisons between those casted to simply play themselves, like Kevin O’Leary from ABC’s Shark Tank playing business tycoon Milton Rockwell, or to perform for a diverse range of audiences. Although this would come across critical, I liked how most of the characters in this film had few redeeming qualities, probably because my favourite book is still A Clockwork Orange. Marty is a player and a hustler, skirting through financial struggles in 1950’s New York whilst chasing his dream of being the face of American table tennis. Table tennis was emerging as a popular sport at the time in Japan before making its way overseas. He has an, albeit convoluted, plan to get to the top and we just had to trust the process. I say unlikeable because of his manipulation of the obstacles that stand in his way, be it money, his heavily pregnant girlfriend (who he shows little concern for until the very end) or his lack of support from family and chosen family over at the local ping pong arcade. Marty is ruthlessly resourceful and at some points devoid of caution, where getting enough money to make his way to Japan for the finals is the only thing that matters despite losing sight of what his life will become after achieving this. He has an immediate plan but no sense of contingency which the film captures in its meticulously placed plot-holes, jump cut like cinematography and intimate close ups. The world beyond the frame is nothing but noise, he is 100% locked in.
He is after all just a 23- year- old kid desperate for more to life than his work in a local shoe seller, leading him to make choices that are volatile and often self-righteous. Rachel Mizler (played by Odessa A’zion) also makes an appearance, often as Marty’s saving grace in times of turmoil. We see her struggling with her own guilty conscience due to her marriage and infidelity, but this development is primarily shown through her latching onto Marty a lot rather than making her own choices. I must question whether this was a cheap shot at historical accuracy or part of the larger dynamic of the film that screams “every man for themselves.”
At points I felt sympathy but also frustration. She is powerful yet constantly having her light dimmed when allowing herself to get caught up in Marty’s scams and irrational efforts for a quick buck to take those baby steps towards his goal, often stepping over her in the process. He is at the end of the day a 23-year-old, unemployed kid in a man’s body. If I were a woman in her position in the 1950’s I doubt I would have thought any different however the contrast with a weathered Hollywood star played by Gwyneth Paltrow provides the layers of feigned guilt and cheeky manipulation to Marty’s psyche rather than the women as characters of their own.
The people in Marty’s world revolve around him from our own perspective because that is also how Marty sees the world and the people in it. A means to an end, almost like a reflection to the audience. There is a lot of historical contexts fed to the audience, with haphazard references to the Jewish experience after Auschwitz, racial tension and the aftermath of America’s bombing of Japan. It creates this backdrop of chaos and conflict that doesn’t disappear just because a treaty is signed. Everyone’s struggle is amplified by the film’s stylistic choice and pacing, but Marty’s exploitation of other people despair remains central. He is always leading the dialogue and the choices of others, as with the very basic naming of the film being an ode to his own sense of supremacy.
His end goal is to rematch and beat Koto Endo (played by Koto Kawaguchi), Japanese Table Tennis’ pride and joy. So, what he beats him? Is that his way to becoming champion? Well, we don’t get to know that anyways because the story leaves us in the lurch of expecting a character arc after realising his egotistical perspective of the game itself no longer serves a purpose once he returns to the USA. A lot of this film is a big “so what?” but for the most part I really enjoyed it. I leant forward in my chair many a times during pivotal matchup moments and intense conversations. The slowest moment where he is face to face with his newborn child left me trying to figure out if Marty was playing everyone like a ping pong ball to get to this precious moment, or if he sees fatherhood as a piece of the bigger puzzle to his ego.