‘Marty Supreme’ Proves Timothée Chalamet Is Here to Stay
Marty Supreme finds Timothée Chalamet reaching Leonardo DiCaprio’s strengths of performance. As an actor, Chalamet has more than demonstrated his talent, with a diverse portfolio of films ranging from musicals to sci-fi epics. But with Marty Supreme, the 29-year-old performer exudes a charismatic presence reminiscent of his mentor’s (DiCaprio’s) style in The Wolf of Wall Street. From an individual standpoint, Marty Mauser is extremely off-putting, arrogant, and obnoxiously self-centered, caring for no one else. Yet, like Uncut Gems, director Josh Safdie sees endearment in the selfish scumbags of the world.
Like Uncut Gems, Josh Safdie, alongside frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, writes about a character who is always gambling with his environment. But unlike Adam Sandler’s jewelry-obsessed Howard, the tension’s enormity spreads because of Marty’s uncontrollable impulse to possess what he wants, even if it comes at the expense of someone else.
What is Marty Supreme about?
Inspired very loosely by table tennis athlete Marty Reisman, the film centers on Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet), a fast-talking, unfiltered table tennis athlete who continually stirs the pot with everyone around him to get his way.
The first introduction to Marty serves as a thesis statement about what the character represents. He has the complete support of his family, including his Uncle Murray (Larry “Ratso” Sloman), who helps him get a full-time job at his shoe store. During his breaks, Marty sleeps with his married childhood friend Rachel (Odessa A’zion). Marty’s mother does anything she can to gain his attention, including fake an illness.
Despite the support from his uncle Murray, Marty robs his own workplace at gunpoint to get the money his uncle forgot to pay him. He desperately needed the money for a trip to compete in an overseas table tennis championship. In summary, Marty’s boldness pushes the lines of selfishness, and it makes everyone around Marty find him grating.
The movie continues to set the stage for the entropy of choices to come from our impulsive main character. While competing in table tennis abroad, Marty is within striking distance of meeting an old Hollywood movie star, Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow). Most men would be intimidated to engage with an icon, but Marty’s abrasive, salesman-like energy is mistaken for bravery rather than entitled arrogance, which charms the actress.
His flirtatiousness with Kay leads him toward her husband, Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary), a businessman who does not suffer fools like Marty but sees a potential partnership to dazzle Japanese clients with table tennis. But after the competition ends, the goodwill between Marty and Milton becomes strained, forcing the athlete to find another way to compete in a table tennis championship.
Josh Safdie made an ’80s movie disguised as a ’50s film
The movie then spirals into a wildly stressful narrative where each messy moment builds on the next. The flow has a similar energy to such ’80s movies as Risky Business and Wall Street. The narrative type in which the more a protagonist attempts to fix a situation or accomplish something bigger than themselves, the more they make everything worse.
For instance, Marty offers to take a stranger’s dog to the vet. But instead of using the money appropriately to get the dog treated, he cons a bunch of strangers at a bar during a table tennis match to triple the amount. And from there, the consequences continue.
The tonal choice seems deliberate, given Daniel Lopatin’s exuberant synth score, which continually pours synthy notes like raindrops colliding with the visuals. In fact, when one places the music side by side with Tangerine Dream’s contribution to Risky Business, they sound incredibly similar.
The movie’s aesthetic also feels retro, with cinematographer Darius Khondji (Se7en) using 35-millimeter Panasonic cameras. The classical touch makes the contemporary vision of a 1950s self-absorbed athlete feel like a VHS-era movie. We previously criticized Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein for its overly clean “Netflix” cinematography. Marty Supreme is further evidence that shooting on film enhances the cinematic texture.
Terrific performances from Marty Supreme‘s cast, especially Timothée Chalamet
Marty Supreme has a murderers’ row of gripping performances, including some of the film’s minor roles. Comedian and magician Penn Jillette makes an unexpected appearance in the movie, and it’s so off-brand that it’s hard to recognize him unless it’s fresh in the viewer’s mind.
The performance that might throw everyone for a loop is Kevin O’Leary as Milton Rockwell. The casting might have been intentional, since O’Leary already plays a scummy, wealthy man in real life on Shark Tank and Fox News. The conversational tension between Chalamet and O’Leary is one of the film’s best parts. However, it leaves a sour taste to know that a Trump ally appears in the movie.
The awards body is generating a lot of buzz for Gwyneth Paltrow in the role of Kay. However, it’s Odessa A’zion as Rachel who feels more deserving of the supporting role category. Her presence as Rachel is equally chaotic and manipulative as Marty’s. It’s clear Rachel will do anything to be with him, and being a companion to Marty’s madness is her own version of a table tennis championship. For this reason, Paltrow isn’t undeserving; it’s simply that A’zion’s role is more demanding, and she gives it her all alongside Chalamet.
Marty Supreme repeatedly echoes many themes from the Safdies. Like Howard in Uncut Gems, everyone is a possible victim of the tidal wave of the main character’s choices. And like Howard, the collateral damage is worth it if it means victory. The key difference is that Howard’s victory was overflowing with irony by the film’s conclusion. Marty Supreme’s conclusion is less impactful but more enthralling, mainly because it serves as a bookend to the unconventional sports drama.
While it may not be the best film from either of the Safdies, the movie might be Chalamet’s best performance to date. He is the reason Marty Supreme is riveting, delivering a performance that goes for it, scene after scene. Some young actors, like Shia LaBeouf, fade over time. Marty Supreme proves that Chalamet is here to stay. Believe the hype. It is that good.
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