Chalamet Serves Up A Master Class Performance In "Marty Supreme"

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Who knew that a movie about Ping Pong would make for one of the most exciting movies of 2025? 

In one of his first solo ventures following the "amicable" departure from his brother Benny, Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme is a fast-paced, roller coaster of emotions that is sure to delight critics and audiences alike. Starring Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Fran Drescher, "Mr. Wonderful" Kevin O'Leary (from Shark Tank fame), and Tyler the Creator, this film will make you laugh, cry, cringe, and cheer.

It's hard to define what genre this film falls under, which is probably the point. Similar to how it is unfair to call Rocky a simple sports film, this film is far more than just a movie about table tennis. 

Set in 1952 New York City, Marty Supreme tells the story of young shoe salesman Marty Mauser, who dreams of proving himself to be the greatest Table Tennis player in the world, which would bring more attention to the sport in the United States. Loosely based on the life of Marty Reisman, the story takes a lot of dramatic turns: running from the police, getting shot at by a crazed New Jersey homeowner (played by Penn Jillette), and even getting spanked by a ping pong paddle. 

The grainy, shaky cinematography that has become a trademark of the Safdie brothers (even though this was not a brotherly endeavor) make for a very action-packed, heartfelt, and impactful story of love, loss, American idealism, and what the pursuit of the American dream looks like to different people. 

The characters are so real and so relatable. While most of them lack a good deal of redeeming qualities, they are at the same time heartfelt and sincere. While Marty is certainly the hero of the story, he makes plenty of questionable choices that seem to only serve himself, and makes enemies by his brash, egotistical way. And yet, you still root for him, despite how despicable he may seem. You can't help but smile in the end when he is standing in that hospital window, staring at his newborn baby. You are hopeful that things will eventually turn out well for him, even though you know his comeuppance is inevitable.

In my opinion, this might be Chalamet's best performance to date. He is no longer just the young heartthrob on a poster in your room (if people even still do that). He puts on a master class in this film. You love to hate him, and you hate that you love him. He has earned his place among the Hollywood elites with this performance. 

The screenplay is also en pointe in this film. The Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein capture the true essence of this film. The dialogue is raw, and matches the fast-paced camera action so well. It is not easy to make dialogue that is so relatable, while also keeping it in the time period of the film. It's sharp, funny, crude, and polished all at the same time. It felt like real conversations. It wasn't just dialogue on a script. 

All-in-all, this film is a winner. I don't know what the Oscars will give it, but whatever they get, they deserve all of it. 

Marty Supreme is playing in theatres now. Run, don't walk, to see this movie.

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%🍅

Metacritic:  89                                        

My Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐