There is no point in trying to deny that everyone was intrigued by which Safdie brother could deliver the goods as they both positioned themselves, before release, to be against one another when it comes to the Oscar race. While Benny made a sports biopic about Mark Coleman with The Smashing Machine and Josh has decided to tell the story of a different sport – ping pong and the story of Marty Mauser (really named Marty Reisman). To say that my interest level in a movie about ping pong was on the lower end of excitement is an understatement, to say that I was even less enthused when it was starring Timothee Chalamet and Kevin O’Leart is another understatement (nothing against Timothee I just don’t find him the most exciting) but somehow Josh Safdie and co-writer Ronald Bronstein dared to dream big and delivered arguably one of the best movies of the year and easily the most adrenaline filled suspenseful intense sports movies of recent memory, so sit back – prepare to laugh at some of the absurdity, and dream big because Marty Supreme is the real deal.
The movie focuses on Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet) whose only goal in life is to the best ping pong player on the planet, there is nothing else he cares about, no one else he cares about and will do *anything* to achieve this goal. There is also no denying his talent, he’s one of the very best in the world and places in top tournaments consistently. Along for his journey is his best friend and on again off again fling whose also married Rachel (Odessa A’zion) and his best friend Wally (Tyler the Creator). When Marty goes against Koto (Koto Kawaguchi) he faces his toughest opponent yet, and must reclaim in his mind what he needs to stay relevant and on top of everything. The problem, is Marty’s ego knows no bounds, he meets movie star Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) while trying to upgrade his accommodations, and wants to swoon her despite being married to pen connoisseur Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) and constantly tries to butt heads with him over business propositions even though – in the long run it would be for his best interest to work for him. The movie is one long ADHD trip through explosive decision and comment after another, never letting its foot off the gas but it works because of the charisma and chaos that is brought to the centre here with Safdie and Bronstein’s script.
The true stars of Marty Supreme, aside from the explosive screenplay and direction would be the performance from the leading man of Timothee Chalamet. While Chalamet has proven time and time again that he has the acting chops to carry a film and be a star, there hasn’t been a vehicle like this for him to truly shine as bright as he has been and is in this film. He has had undeniable performances before, but making an audience be at the edge of their seat, believe in dreaming big, and be glued for two and a half hours for a movie about table tennis is no easy task, but Chalamet takes on the daunting task of bringing this story and person to life almost effortlessly. Supporting him and rounding him out though and relatively breakout stars in Tyler the Creator and Odessa A’zion (whose been around but this is her standout role) help bring Marty to life and nearly ground him when he needs to be brought back to the atmosphere because he is literally soaring through the stratosphere.
Marty Supreme asks the question why audiences should care about ping pong and their players, and arguably it doesn’t give a case for anyone who wants to go ahead and sit down and watch competitive ping pong. But the story that is told is so undeniably insane, chasing your dreams at all costs, and chaotic it is hard to resist. Lead by terrific performances all around, Marty Supreme is proving to be supreme at the end year consideration and talks, as there is something so undeniable about the presence that Safdie brings to the forefront with his direction and screenplay and that A’zion and Chalamet bring to the screen with their undeniable chemistry and his infectious performance.
