“Marty Supreme” is the latest film from director Josh Safdie, following his split from his usual co-directing partner and brother, Benny Safdie. The film stars Timothee Chalamet in the titular role of Marty Mauser, an American ping pong player, with the driving focus to prove that he is the best in the world and to bring ping pong to America. Though that’s how the movie starts, there is a lot less ping pong then expected, and a lot more of the patented Safdie insanity, as we watch a man struggle through a series of increasingly tense and dangerous situations to fuel his addiction. Featuring a variety of memorable side characters, “Marty Supreme” continues to prove why Timothee Chalamet is one of the best actors today.
The Safdie brothers first made waves in the film industry with their films “Good Time” starring Robert Pattinson, and “Uncut Gems” starring Adam Sandler. These movies are both clearly inspired by the Martin Scorsese film “After Hours”. “After Hours” follows a simple office worker who tries to make his way home after work and experiences an insane series of misadventures. This is used in “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems”, but I feel like “Marty Supreme” is the ultimate evolution of this formula. While not quite reaching the heights of “After Hours” insanity, “Marty Supreme” instead builds the characters so that the misadventures have real tension, instead of just dark humor.
As stated previously, “Marty Supreme” focuses a lot less on ping pong than the marketing would suggest. Instead, it dives into what makes Marty Mauser’s clock tick, and how that drives the plot of the film. Marty is an egocentric man who believes that everything will go his way without fail. He schemes, manipulates, and lies however and whenever he can to reach what he deems to be the optimal outcome for him. Marty’s biggest strength is also his biggest weakness. This being his mouth, in which he says whatever thing he can think of to get himself in and out of precarious situations. Ultimately, his rival Endo, the Japanese ping pong player who beat him in the British Open, is one of the most interesting parts of the movie. Endo is deaf and completely immune to all of Marty’s ranting and raving. Marty is without a doubt one of the most insane characters to watch, and yet, one can’t help but root for him out of a strange sense of sympathy.
Ultimately, this is Chalamet’s film, and you can see it throughout the movie. The passion he brings to the movie and unbridled dedication to the promotion of the movie only further pushes him along as one of the greatest actors of the 21st century. Chalamet has been nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars. I truly hope that he finally wins it this time for his phenomenal performance in “Marty Supreme,” and I am looking forward to what he does next.
“Marty Supreme” is a wild ride that never fully stops, and is a movie worth watching. If you’ve seen any of Safdie’s previous work, you likely know what you’re in for, but if you haven’t, prepare yourself for a movie that will constantly keep you on the edge of your seat. I’m eagerly anticipating Josh Safdie’s next film as his departure from his brother marks a new era in his filmmaking. “Marty Supreme” is absolutely worth watching.
