Why Marty Supreme Proves The Timothée Chalamet Haters Wrong Once And For All

Warning: This article contains spoilers for "Marty Supreme."

Where were you when the great Timothée Chalamet Debate arrived? Was it in the aftermath of that shockingly honest speech at this year's SAG Awards, when he proclaimed that he's "in pursuit of greatness"? Perhaps it began earlier, right around the time he decided to cash in his big IP franchise chip and lead a "Wonka" musical prequel. (I know that definition technically covers "Dune," but come on, an "unadaptable" adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel by Denis Villeneuve hardly feels like "cashing in.") Heck, there's probably someone out there who still has a bone to pick with the kid after Luca Guadagnino ended "Call Me By Your Name" with five minutes straight of nothing but Chalamet sobbing his little eyes out.

Regardless of when the first shot was fired in this online war, the result was the same: The rising talent known affectionately as "Timmy" simply became someone you either love or you hate, with very little in the way of a middle ground. Neither "Lady Bird" nor "Little Women" could sway anyone from one side to the other, let alone minor roles in "The French Dispatch" and "Don't Look Up" or even "A Complete Unknown," his obligatory biopic box just waiting to be checked off. Perhaps he was always destined to be a lightning rod, forever working with the best of the best filmmakers around, but doomed to endless second-guessing over whether he's truly a movie star or not.

That is, until Josh Safdie delivered him the role of a lifetime with "Marty Supreme." From this point onwards, may it be the demarcation line. Remember this day, folks, for this was the day Timothée Chalamet skeptics were proven wrong, once and for all.

"Drama is very important to me. I can't undercut the drama," Marty Mouser declares early in "Marty Supreme." A nonstop hustler from New York City with an annoying mustache and even more obnoxious bravado, the rising table tennis star couldn't possibly have felt like a more apt role for Timothée Chalamet haters. Whether you buy into the idea that the one-man marketing campaign for his latest lead role has been performance art, intentionally riffing on Marty's own self-confidence, what's clear is this aggressive PR strategy has blurred the lines between performer and person. Where does one end and the other begin? And, more to the point, does it actually matter?

"Marty Supreme" argues there's nothing purer than giving oneself over to a lifelong ambition — and nothing more destructive, either. Of all the layers of façade making up the web of contradictions that is Marty Mouser, his passion to succeed in table tennis is beyond dispute. Equally as undeniable, however, is that he'll screw over each and every one of his friends, family, business partners, and lovers along the way, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. Not that Chalamet himself has even come close to doing so, mind you. In fact, his greatest "sin" to this point was having the temerity to admit that he wants to be a master of his craft — how dare he!

While his press tour antics might seem off-putting to traditionalist cinephiles, diehard sports fans (of all people) can understand this drive. To be the best, one has to act like they're the best. They must claim it, manifest it, and will it into existence, if that's what it takes. Who embodies this better than Chalamet?

While Josh Safdie is known for movies that tend to feel like feature-length anxiety attacks, the true magic of "Marty Supreme" is its ability to let Chalamet take over the screen. If "Dune" hadn't already made this clear (and we'd argue that both movies did), there should no longer be any doubt: Chalamet is a bona fide movie star, and there are dozens of moments in "Marty Supreme" that prove it.

Look no further than how the camera practically adores his face. The easy example would be to point to Marty repeatedly (and believably) charming the pants off Gwyneth Paltrow's faded movie star Kay Stone, but that hardly does justice to a performance all but crackling with electricity. There's his lingering look of disgust and self-loathing directed at a circus-performing seal. Or the breathtaking hypocrisy when he chides his lover Rachel (an equally brilliant Odessa A'zion) for having no purpose in life and making things up as she goes along. Or his impossibly smug delivery of "that doesn't even enter my consciousness" when Kay challenges him to simply contemplate failure.

What really seals the deal, however, is another movie-ending crying scene — this time, when Marty sees his infant child for the first time. Over a mere handful of seconds, every coping mechanism and undeserved bit of self-confidence melts away. In its place is a mix of something altogether different: love, terror, perhaps even a little shame. But, more than anything else, there's a newfound conviction to succeed. Should we see this moment make his highlight reel at the 2026 Academy Awards, the truth will be there for all to see. Chalamet was made for this moment, and there's no longer any debate about it.

"Marty Supreme" is now playing in theaters.