‘Marty Supreme’ Review: Timothée Chalamet Reigns Supreme

Marty Mauser almost certainly never told the truth intentionally. Calling him a liar doesn’t quite capture how extreme it is – he’s turned lying into a skill. The main character in the new movie, Marty Supreme, makes his living as a table-tennis player, but he’s really a con artist. He genuinely seems to believe that if he lies convincingly enough, he can make anything happen.

You know, watching Marty, I was immediately reminded of the kinds of characters Josh Safdie usually creates. He used to direct with his brother Benny, and they were amazing at showing these people who were just trying so hard, but everything always seemed to fall apart for them – like they were stuck in something that just kept pulling them down. This year they both did their own projects, and while Benny’s film was technically good, it didn’t quite have that same spark. But Josh’s Marty Supreme? That felt like a Safdie brothers movie through and through. It’s heartbreaking, really exciting, and it just captures that specific, anxious energy you get from New York City.

The story of Marty Supreme starts in a small shoe store during the 1950s. Marty (Timothée Chalamet) is a remarkably talented salesman and is quickly climbing the ladder towards management – a stable future he actively wants to avoid. Outside of work, Marty is a world-class ping pong player, and he’s determined to turn his passion into a successful career, hoping to both boost the sport and his own wealth.

Marty has a big goal, and he might actually reach it if he could just stay focused. Unfortunately, he’s easily distracted, constantly jumping from one thing to another. The film Marty Supreme kicks off with Marty beginning an affair with a longtime married friend, Rachel, in the store’s stockroom, leading to an unexpected pregnancy and adding even more pressure to his pursuit of wealth and fame. When his boss—who also happens to be his stepfather—refuses to fund Marty’s trip to the table tennis championships in Japan, Marty resorts to robbery, stealing the money and flying off to compete. Throughout the entire film, a perfectly chosen soundtrack of 80s pop hits, like songs by Alphaville and Tears For Fears, adds to the atmosphere.

In Japan, Marty repeatedly gets close to success, only to sabotage himself. He impresses a rich businessman – brilliantly portrayed by Kevin O’Leary, known as “Mr. Wonderful” from Shark Tank – but rejects his job offer out of pride. He also starts a secret romance with the businessman’s glamorous wife, Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow). Back in New York, his stepfather wants him arrested, and Rachel’s husband wants him harmed. Before all of that, Marty promises to look after a drifter’s injured dog (played by film director Abel Ferrara), but then breaks his promise to take it to the vet, choosing instead to play table tennis at a bowling alley for quick money.

Marty is constantly creating new problems for himself. Every quick fix he attempts just leads to another, more urgent crisis – and this happens non-stop for two and a half hours. If you found Uncut Gems relaxing, Marty Supreme will be a much more intense moviegoing experience. A better title might have been One Battle After Another if it hadn’t already been taken.

Josh Safdie builds his stories with a relentless energy, constantly adding new challenges and complications. He seems to ask himself, ‘How much can I handle?’ and the answer is always to add even more. He’s a filmmaker who thrives on complexity, layering one risky element on top of another, pushing the boundaries of what he can manage – and seemingly enjoying the chaos.

Marty suffers from a similar flaw. He can’t enjoy small wins if a bigger, more impressive success seems possible – even if chasing that bigger prize risks losing what he’s already achieved. The filmmakers expertly create painful situations for their characters, especially for Marty. They repeatedly offer him everything he desires, then cruelly take it away at the last second. His struggles and temptations feel almost like a story from the Bible, and the film starts to feel like a warning about the dangers of excessive pride. It’s worth remembering that Marty’s Jewish faith is an important part of who he is.

Marty reminds you a lot of the flawed but lovable character Adam Sandler played in Uncut Gems, except Marty’s much younger – still in his twenties, which makes his mistakes a little easier to forgive. You’d expect to dislike him because of his overconfidence and self-destructive behavior. However, Timothée Chalamet brings so much energy and charm to the role that you find yourself wanting him to succeed, especially as the pressure builds and he stubbornly pursues his dream of becoming a table tennis champion, even when everything suggests he should give up. He wins you over just like he wins over everyone around him, including Rachel and Kay.

Safdie expertly builds suspense throughout Marty Supreme and doesn’t let it go until the film’s surprising conclusion, which cleverly connects back to the beginning. Without giving away the ending, here are some things to consider: In the final scene, Marty says some very direct and assertive things to someone – things he wouldn’t have said earlier in the movie. This raises the question: Has Marty truly changed after his experiences? Is he being honest now, or is this just another in a long line of lies?

RATING: 9/10

Bad 2000s Movies That Got Great Reviews

Garden State (2004)

With an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Garden State was a critical success when it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. The film, which follows a depressed actor as he connects with a woman he meets while attending his mother’s funeral in New Jersey, became a popular indie hit and helped launch Zach Braff’s career as a writer, director, and actor. It also came to represent a specific style of indie filmmaking at the time – thoughtful, artistic, subtly humorous, and featuring a memorable indie rock soundtrack.

However, the film is also known for popularizing the “manic pixie dream girl” trope through Natalie Portman’s character, Sam. Looking back, Garden State feels somewhat like a product of its time, filled with familiar elements of 2000s pop culture, making it surprising that it resonated with so many people 20 years ago.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 83%, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory feels like a turning point for director Tim Burton, and not in a good way. It marks the start of a period where he seemed less interested in his signature darkly imaginative style and more focused on uninspired remakes and reboots like Planet of the Apes, Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows, and Dumbo. While Burton seemed like a reasonable choice to direct a new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, many of the changes he made – especially the sad backstory for Willy Wonka – felt unnecessary and aimed at simply updating the story for a new generation. In fact, the film’s digital effects haven’t aged well compared to the practical effects used in the original Gene Wilder Willy Wonka movie.

Crash (2004)

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 73%, the film Crash won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2004, despite competition from critically acclaimed films like Good Night, and Good Luck and Brokeback Mountain. It seems that films about race relations that win Oscars tend to be overly simplistic and well-meaning. Crash boasts a star-studded cast including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, and Matt Dillon, which likely contributed to its perceived importance. However, the film itself – a complex and sometimes frustrating look at the interconnected lives of people in Los Angeles dealing with racism – feels chaotic and unresolved.

Get Him to the Greek (2010)

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 72%, Get Him to the Greek started as a spin-off featuring Russell Brand’s character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jonah Hill, who also appeared in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, co-stars, which can be a little confusing. However, that’s a minor issue compared to the film’s bigger problems. One of these is Sean Combs (P. Diddy) playing an incredibly unpleasant record executive who constantly berates his employees – a truly uncomfortable dynamic to watch, even today.

Cold Mountain (2003)

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 69%, Cold Mountain had all the ingredients for awards success: a respected director (Anthony Minghella), a well-regarded novel as its source material, a beautiful historical setting, and a star-studded cast – Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger, all employing exaggerated Southern accents. The film received seven Academy Award nominations that year, but surprisingly didn’t win any. Despite being visually appealing and featuring famous actors, Cold Mountain felt artificial – like it was carefully constructed in a studio to specifically appeal to Oscar voters rather than being a genuinely moving story.

Babel (2006)

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 68%. While some people really enjoy Alejandro González Iñárritu’s movies, I’m not as convinced, often finding them overly concerned with appearing important rather than being truly impactful. Take Babel, for example. It’s a grand statement about how connected humanity is and the difficulties we face when trying to understand each other across different cultures and languages – which is a valid point! However, the film feels so overly planned and directed that it actually weakens the emotional connection with the story. Despite this, it received seven Academy Award nominations and won an Oscar for Best Original Score.

Shaft (2000)

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 67%, the recent Shaft movies starring Samuel L. Jackson haven’t lived up to their potential. While Jackson is perfectly suited to play the character – he’s known for playing tough guys – both the 2000 and 2019 films felt lackluster. Jackson brought the confidence and cool the role needed, but the movies struggled to find a consistent tone, unsure whether to be a throwback to classic blaxploitation films or a more contemporary action movie. Fans are better off sticking with the original Shaft starring Richard Roundtree.

The Blind Side (2009)

The movie The Blind Side was a big success when it came out in 2009, earning Sandra Bullock an Oscar for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy, who befriends and adopts Michael Oher, a talented but disadvantaged young football player. However, the film has faced criticism for how it portrays Oher’s story. Many argue it falls into the “white savior” trope and inaccurately depicts Oher as someone who didn’t understand football until his adoptive parents explained it to him.

Michael Oher himself expressed discomfort with these scenes in his autobiography, stating they made him appear unintelligent instead of acknowledging his lack of consistent schooling and his eventual success with proper instruction. He specifically recalled feeling misrepresented by scenes showing him being taught basic football concepts.

Recent legal disputes between Oher and the Tuohys – where Oher claimed they never legally adopted him but instead established a conservatorship to profit from his career – further emphasize how the film may have distorted the true story.

Changeling (2008)

Clint Eastwood’s film, Changeling, tells the disturbing true story of a mother (Angelina Jolie) whose son disappeared in the 1920s. After months of searching, the police returned a boy they said was hers, but she knew he wasn’t. When she refused to accept the child, authorities labeled her unstable and had her committed to a mental hospital. The film, featuring Jolie repeatedly and passionately demanding her son’s return, is a sincere and respectful portrayal of the events. However, while well-intentioned, it’s not a movie many people feel compelled to watch repeatedly. Despite this, Changeling earned Jolie her first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

I Am Sam (2001)

The film I Am Sam, starring Sean Penn, received an Oscar nomination in 2002. Penn played a man with an intellectual disability fighting for custody of his daughter, Dakota Fanning. The nomination came at a time when portraying such characters was still a sensitive issue, and could easily have been seen as exploitative. A few years later, the film Tropic Thunder satirized this very issue. Ben Stiller’s character, Tugg Speedman, attempts to win an award by playing a similar character in a movie-within-the-movie, Simple Jack, hoping to gain sympathy and recognition. Unlike Penn, however, Speedman’s attempt is a complete failure and becomes a source of ridicule.

2025-12-02 14:58