Timothée Chalamet’s newest film, “Marty Supreme,” premiered on Christmas Day and is one of his wildest yet. Directed by Josh Safdie, the film very loosely tells the real-life story of Marty Reisman, portrayed in the movie as Marty Mauser (Chalamet).
Like Reisman, Mauser is a Jewish-American table tennis player who will stop at nothing to be the best at the sport. While there are a few more similarities between the two versions of Marty, the big ones end there. More liberties are taken to fictionalize – and sensationalize – the story.
The film captures audiences’ attention from the very beginning with the opening credits rolling over shots of sperm and a fertilized egg that eventually transforms into a ping-pong ball. From then on, the film is a wild ride packed with nonstop action as Mauser does whatever it takes to pursue his table tennis dreams.
Chalamet convincingly plays a hustling, ambitious New Yorker, but it is through Mauser’s relationships with the two female leads that Mauser becomes a complicated character. Though Gwyneth Paltrow (playing washed-up movie star Kay Stone) is the bigger name of the two, Odessa A’zion steals the show as Mauser’s long-time friend and part-time lover Rachel Mizler.
Other side characters – played by Tyler, the Creator, Abel Ferrara, Emory Cohen, Luke Manley and Kevin O’Leary (also known as Mr. Wonderful) – appear multiple times throughout the film to help and/or hinder Mauser’s journey.
Though audiences might have expected lots of table tennis matches throughout the entirety of the film, that wasn’t quite the case here. The middle of the film consists, instead, of Mauser’s struggles as he tries to make it to the World Table Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan. This does not, however, mean that the middle of the film is boring by any means. There are no lulls or breaks to breathe during the film as tensions rise during the build-up to the “big game.” This makes his last game even more emotional and intense, as audiences have followed his incredible journey to get there.
Overall, the film consists of loyalty, betrayal, a complicated underdog and commentary regarding the lengths people will go for their passions. Whether their passion is table tennis, money, romance, theater, or even a dog, many characters in this film explore their interests in a level of depth often absent in other films.
The resolution of the film is somewhat open-ended, as the narrative leans on Chalamet’s brilliant acting to convey the ending note.
If you needed one more reason to go watch the film, hopefully the comical fact that Mr. Wonderful’s character says “I’m a vampire” at one point will motivate you.
Junior Emily Myers is a Copy Editor. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.