We all grow up with dreams. Some kids want to be astronauts, while others want to be the president. Well, Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) wants to be the greatest table tennis player of all time. Opening with Alphaville’s “Forever Young,” Josh Safdie’s latest film ‘Marty Supreme’ chronicles Marty’s life as his dreams and relentless optimism lead him through hell and back as he pursues his dream of being great.
Set in 1950s New York, Marty works as a shoe salesman at his uncle’s company. He’s very good at what he does. At one point, he jokes that he could sell shoes to an amputee (the script, written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein in their fourth collaboration, is very funny). But this job is only a stepping stool for him. It’s a means to get funding for his trip abroad to play in a table tennis tournament.
As for anyone who has ever pursued a creative endeavour in their life, Marty was met with pushback from his family and community. His uncle offers him a “real” job as manager of the shoe store, but Marty knows he has a higher purpose. He’s destined for greatness through table tennis, which is not the ideal sport one dreams of achieving fame and glory. But Marty assures his family (and the audience) that it “fills stadiums overseas.” So, despite it being against his family’s wishes, he takes the money he’s owed and hops on a flight to London where the first domino in a two-and-a-half-hour long line of dominoes tips over.
What follows is an epic Safdie odyssey: a non-stop adrenaline shot straight to the heart through elaborate schemes and high stakes ping pong. It’s one anxiety-inducing sequence after another, never being able to predict how one starts or when it will end. The masterfully paced editing (also done by Safdie and Bronstein) keeps this high intensity train of chaos on track, making the runtime feel like a breeze. Safdie draws from the same suffocating energy as ‘Uncut Gems’ in his direction, focusing on close-ups and overlapping dialogue. If you weren’t a fan of that movie, I’ve got bad news for you.
At its core, ‘Marty Supreme’ takes an individualistic view on the American dream, with Marty only ever looking out for himself. He believes that he has to be alone on this journey and suffer in solitude like a tortured artist. Having this uncompromising individuality frees him from outside expectations but also narrows his world until he can no longer see beyond himself.
It’s hard not to compare Marty Mauser to Timothée Chalamet as an actor. After Chalamet’s Best Actor win at the SAG Awards in early 2025, he spoke on his pursuit of greatness as an actor claiming he wants to be one of the best. ‘Marty Supreme’ is his first role since then, and from the first second he’s on screen you can tell he’s approaching the role with a certain type of hunger. Confidence and swagger oozes out with every look, movement, and line delivery. Chalamet has always been a star, but his mesmerizing and commanding presence on screen shows he’s operating at a different frequency than before.
He cleanly walks the line between insufferable and charming, egotistical and lovable. I found it very heartwarming that any dispute, no matter who’s at fault, ended with an “I love you,” from Marty. Despite all of the selfish and bad decisions he makes, it’s hard not to root for him.
Although this is Chalamet at his best, there’s a multitude of supporting characters played by industry veterans, new faces, and non-actors that come into contact with Marty Mauser and have their lives changed forever. Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a once famous actress who had stopped acting before Marty was born. She settled in her marriage to Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary–yes, that Kevin O’Leary), a wealthy CEO of the largest pen brand in America. Marty sets his eyes on Stone, seeing her as someone who once achieved greatness (Paltrow herself has one Oscar), and persistently pursues her as if it would help him in his own path to greatness. Although the relationship starts out transactional, Marty’s delusional attitude towards his goals ignites something within Stone. Something that she hadn’t felt in a while. Something that allowed her to dream bigger than what people expected of her.
Although the addition of non-actors like O’Leary and artist Tyler, the Creator (who is credited with his birth name Tyler Okonma) may seem distracting, both disappear into their roles. O’Leary was cast because in Safdie’s words, “We are looking for that real asshole, and you’re it.” And he was right. Okonma is an energetic force while on the stage under his musical persona, and he was able to channel that into this role as Marty’s best friend and partner in crime. Both roles felt like extensions of their real life selves which makes these characters so believable.
The standout, however, is Odessa A’zion who plays Rachel Mizler, Marty’s girlfriend who (through a hilarious opening credits scene) is revealed to be pregnant with his child. They have a sort-of Bonnie and Clyde relationship, scamming their way through friends and strangers just to buy themselves more time to live another day. In Marty’s skewed worldview, Rachel’s path is predetermined. Their child and the complications that come with it are an issue he is unwilling to let curb his journey to greatness. But A’zion brings a deeply layered performance that shows her own uncompromising individuality, taking matters into her own hands when needed. It’s one of the year’s most exciting breakout performances.
While we all can relate to the idea of having a purpose, ‘Marty Supreme’ reminds us that with time that can change. Our focuses shift, priorities get rearranged, and we become more cognizant of the world around us and how we affect it. With yet another beautiful 80s needle drop (there are plenty throughout the film), Marty comes face to face with his newfound purpose. And although it wasn’t what he was expecting, he couldn’t ask for it any other way.
Marty Supreme releases in theaters December 25th.
