Marty Supreme

Director: Josh Safdie

Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) is a talented New York based table tennis player, his dream, to head to Japan to play in the world championship. But to get there is going to mean finding funding, luckily, Marty is not only a great player, he’s a hustler, ambitious and driven by a singular goal, to which he is prepared to use anything and anyone to achieve it. Can he get to Japan and what damage will he do on the way?

Marty Supreme is a story about pursuing a dream and the price you have to pay to get there. But it turns this premise on its head by making Marty an unlikeable character. While his drive and determination are to be admired, his willingness to take risks with anyone around him regardless of the consequences makes him impossible to pull for.

This twist on the underdog tale, is where some may struggle with the film. Whether the film is about someone who learns what’s truly important, or about how unscrupulous and unpleasant people can achieve what they want, is left for you to decide.

That said, it is credit to the film that it still works. Much of this is on Chalamet who puts in a fantastic performance full of energy and charisma, that makes Marty, for all of his flaws, very watchable. Performances across the board are strong, Odessa A’zion as Marty’s friend Rachel and Gwyneth Paltrow, as a fading movie star, are foils for Marty, both used by and using him for their own ends.

The story is a wild ride, as much a heist film as underdog tale. And for a film not really about table tennis, it does deliver an incredibly tense final match!

Marty Supreme, takes the underdog story and turns it on its head with a protagonist that’s hard to cheer for and how you feel about that may determine how much you enjoy the film. But what you certainly get is a wild ride, more heist film than underdog tale, and lit up by Timothée Chalamet’s central performance, full of energy and charisma. But he is hard to like and that may leave some feeling cold. But it’s original, a little crazy, with strong performances. It’s full of ping and pong!