Marty Supreme Review: Timothée Chalamet Is A Force Of Chaos In Josh Safdie's Phenomenal Ping Pong Dramedy

Timothée Chalamet has never been as good as he is in "Marty Supreme," Josh Safdie's electrifying comedy-drama about a big pain in the ass with a big dream. Chalamet has steadily built up a memorable career in what feels like a short time, but with Marty Mauser, he has landed the part he was seemingly born to play. It's the type of performance you watch while thinking, "I can't imagine anyone else in this role." Marty is the kind of guy who you'd probably not want to be around for very long, seeing as his constant hustle and rude demeanour attract an endless stream of problems. And yet, Chalamet hits all the right notes here, somehow making this force of chaos a charmer. We can't help but root for this guy, even when he's making one destructive decision after another.

Like "Good Time" and "Uncut Gems," which Safdie co-directed with his brother Benny, "Marty Supreme" is about a guy scrambling through a series of misadventures all in the name of one big break — even if that means some other people get hurt along the way. But "Marty Supreme" doesn't feel like Safdie is repeating himself. Instead, it finds the filmmaker, now working solo, at his most refined; one of the most impressive things about the movie is how controlled all this chaos feels.

"Marty Supreme" is like a runaway train that could jump its track at any minute — but Safide and his game cast are able to bring it safely into the station. Everyone here is turning in good work (perhaps most surprisingly non-actor Kevin O'Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, who is a little too good at playing a morally suspect billionaire), but Chalamet is the key to unlocking everything. I've never disliked Chalamet, but after watching him here, I can say I finally "get" what all the hype is about.

Inspired (loosely, I hope, for the sake of any real people involved) by the life of table tennis champ Marty Reisman, "Marty Supreme" is set in the 1950s and drops us into the hectic life of Marty Mauser, a New York kid with a big dream. That dream: to become a star in the world of table tennis, aka ping pong. The game isn't exactly taken seriously in the U.S., but Marty thinks that if he wins big competitions overseas he'll be able to change that. Marty is so laser-focused on realizing his dream that he's in a constant state of hustle, sprinting from one spot to the next, all the name of making enough money to get where he needs to be.

This may sound a bit silly, and indeed, "Marty Supreme" is laugh-out-loud funny on several occasions. But to Marty, his dream is everything. He takes it very seriously, even if it leaves wreckage along the way. His mother (Fran Drescher) struggles financially, and his lifetime friend Rachel (an immensely charming Odessa A'zion) has just become pregnant with Marty's child — even though she's married to another man (Emory Cohen). The problems begin to pile up in Marty's life, but he remains completely convinced that once he realizes his big dream, everything will fall into place.

At one point, Marty catches the eye Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), a once-famous actress who hasn't made a movie in a few years but is hoping for a stage-based comeback. They tumble into an affair, and one of the film's most telling moments arrives during one of their post-coital interactions. When Kay pointedly asks Marty what he'll do if he fails to turn his dreams into reality, he arrogantly shoots back: "That doesn't even enter my consciousness." Failure is not an option. Does Marty actually have this much blind faith in himself, or is he so terrified to think of the alternative that he has no choice but to keep pushing forward? Chalamet handles that potential internal conflict masterfully, finding a way to make Marty seem both wholly convincing and completely full of sh*t at the same time.

While Marty keeps falling in and out of sexual liaisons with Kay, he also draws the attention of her obscenely wealthy husband Milton Rockwell (O'Leary), who made a fortune through a pen empire. Rockwell might be Marty's golden goose, but the young man is so determined to do things his own way that he causes complications. Then again, Rockwell is clearly bad news (what billionaire isn't?), so getting mixed up with him might not be the best idea. Through it all, Marty keeps crashing catastrophically up against various memorable characters played by surprising faces, like Tyler Okonma, aka Tyler, the Creator, as Marty's ping pong-hustling friend Wally, or filmmaking legend Abel Ferrara as a potentially dangerous dog owner. Safdie has populated the film with oddballs and eccentrics, all of whom leave their distinct mark on this hectic odyssey.

Safdie's direction and editing (he co-edited the pic with Ronald Bronstein) keeps things moving a breakneck pace, so much so that you won't ever feel the eye-popping 149 minutes. Daniel Lopatin's exciting score, mixed with anachronistic '80s pop songs on the soundtrack, gives everything a vibrant, thrilling aura, as do the genuinely exciting table tennis scenes. I don't know how much movie trickery was used to make it look like Chalamet and his co-stars were really playing the sport, all I know is that the film makes these scenes feel explosive and genuine. I never thought I'd be on the edge of my seat watching someone play ping pong, and yet, here we are.

This all makes for one rip-roaring film, but I suspect none of it would come together as well were it not for Chalamet, who is the main focus of virtually every scene, save for one or two moments. If you met someone like Marty in real life you might want to get as far away from them as possible, and yet Chalamet is so good at making this jerk likable that you're won over by his story — all of which leads to a shockingly emotional crescendo that packs a real punch. This is unquestionably the best performance of Timothée Chalamet's career, and "Marty Supreme" is one of the best movies of the year. I can't wait to watch it again.

/Film Rating: 10 out of 10

"Marty Supreme" opens in theaters on December 25, 2025.