Written by Safdie and frequent collaborator Ronald Bronstein, Marty Supreme<\/em> begins with a title card telling us that it\u2019s New York in 1952, but it couldn\u2019t be any other time or place. Co-writer and director Safdie doesn\u2019t display nostalgia for this setting, but instead recreates it with grimy fidelity about these people and this city. Marty Mauser (Chalamet) has a job as a shoe salesman in his uncle\u2019s shop, but he thinks and talks about nothing other than himself and his goal to bring table tennis to the fore of American culture with himself as its ambassador and star player. He\u2019s a natural hustler; he struggles to pay for things as small as his meals or as large as a trip to Tokyo for a tournament, but he always figures out a way, though it may not be strictly above board or may not endear him to those around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an actual human being, Marty Mauser is the kind of obnoxious, ego-driven young guy who might have magnetism, but not enough of it to outweigh a casual cruelty and singlemindedness that means you wouldn\u2019t want to spend more than a minute in his presence. The 23-year-old phenom spits out insults that are offensive even in the movie\u2019s setting of 1953, to say nothing of how appalling they are in 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n His singular focus is on table tennis, an activity that seemed so banal that I could barely manage enough interest to go down to the table in my grandparents\u2019 basement. And yet, Marty Mauser and Marty Supreme<\/em> are wholly engaging. I was rooting for this asshole, both in the entertaining table tennis matches that pit him against the best players and in the larger world, where he has to contend with both his own terrible decisions and a bunch of other assholes. <\/p>\n\n\n As befits a Safdie protagonist, Marty is all nerve and nerves, undone by both his own actions and things outside of his control. He makes cringe-inducing choices, but he also falls victim to circumstance. Once things start to go wrong, all we want is for something to go right, and not just so we can feel a little less anxious about what\u2019s happening. This isn\u2019t ever as stressful as Good Times<\/em> or Uncut Gems<\/em>, but there\u2019s still a sense of unease about exactly what Marty will do or what will happen despite his best efforts. He has a fast-talking, fast-playing energy, but he still can\u2019t ever seem to really get ahead. Chalamet is jittery and full of bravado, as good in the moments of hubris as when Marty is epicly humbled. It\u2019s a role that requires both broad range and specificity, and Chalamet nails every second he\u2019s on screen, which is practically the entire movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Safdie surrounds Chalamet with an ace cast of recognizable stars: Gwyneth Paltrow as a former movie star and current (married) love interest, Odessa A’zion as his childhood friend and other (married) love interest, Emory Cohen as her suspicious husband, Fran Drescher as Marty\u2019s mother, Sandra Bernhard as his aunt, and Tyler Okonma (aka Tyler the Creator) as his partner in crime. The Safdies have always employed non-professional actors ranging from everyday people to NBA star Kevin Garnett, and Josh continues that here by employing big names that haven\u2019t made their names as thespians, like Shark Tank<\/em>\u2019s Kevin O\u2019Leary and New York grocery magnate (and locally famous jerk<\/a>) John Catsimatidis. The biggest laughs of the movie come from a late cameo who delights with his initial appearance, and then continues that joy with each of his few lines of dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s bits like that that make Marty Supreme<\/em> so much fun, even though it has the hallmark stresses of a Safdie film. Marty endures pain and humiliation in service of his dream, but there are moments that are so elating that you leave the movie on a high, as bouncy as Marty in his best moments. It has fizzy energy even beyond Safdie\u2019s direction and Chalamet\u2019s performance, which would be enough to sustain most films. The soundtrack has songs from the \u201850s that mingle with \u201880s synth and classical tones, all making it feel at once of that era, this particular moment, and utterly timeless, all at once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Safdie, Bronstein, Chalamet, and the rest of the team have made something for the ages. Marty Supreme<\/em> is a wild ride, whipping you back and forth with your heart in your throat from the moment it begins. The second it ends, you just want to get right back on again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Marty Supreme” is out now in a limited 70mm engagement in select cities. It opens in more theaters Christmas Day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/marty2-1024x577.webp\")
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