Over the Christmas/Holiday break, I typically drag my family to go see a film. Last year it was Nosferatu, where my mother was covering her eyes throughout the entire film. The previous year was The Holdovers, which gave my parents the warm and fuzzies. This year it was Josh Safdie’s ping-pong sports drama, Marty Supreme. Now both of my parents have seen a Safdie film before, which was Uncut Gems. They are familiar with the stressful tone, the unlikable characters, and the non-stop yelling. So when they said everyone was an asshole in Marty Supreme, I looked at them and said “first time”. However, after sitting on the film for a few weeks as I have had no time to write, the film has soured on me a bit. Not because of the unlikable characters but because of how familiar it felt to previous Safdie films.
Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet, Dune), is a hustling 23-year-old table tennis protégé who dreams of becoming the best table tennis player in the world. After being humiliated at the British Open, he will go through hell and back in the pursuit of greatness, even at the cost of himself and everyone around him.
If this is your first time walking into a Safdie film you should know two of the key characteristics. Their films are incredibly stressful as nearly every line of dialogue is being yelled or screamed, and that every character is an asshole. But for the first 30-minutes of Marty Supreme, this chaotic, frantic energy that Safdie films are known for was surprisingly absent as the film plays off almost like a stereotypical sports biopic. Our introduction to Marty, played by a career best performance from Timothee Chalamet, gives us a clear picture into the kind of person he is. He is a hustling, narcissist, asshole who is so focused on achieving his goal to become the world best table tennis player, that he will burn everything to the ground, including himself, to achieve his goal. So watching him get humbled on the world stage in the film’s opening act after he robbed and abandoned his family was not only satisfying, but exhilarating. Every frame of each table tennis match was exhilarating as we followed the ping-pong ball go back and forth between the two players as a synth score blast in the background. Table tennis is secretly one of the most exhilarating sports to watch, and Josh Safdie shows it in all of its seat-gripping glory.
However, everything changes for Marty when he returns to New York City after being abroad for several months as his hustling lifestyle finally catches up to him. Act two settles into what many would describe as a typical Safdie film. We follow Marty scramble around New York City looking for funds to not only pay off his current debt but to pay for his trip to Japan so he can compete in the world championships. We see Marty hustling amateur players, ripping off his family, scheming against a mobster, and sleeping with a famous actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love) who has a billionaire husband named Milton (Kevin O’Leary, Shark Tank) to get the funds for his trip. While this section of the film has all of the screaming, shouting and stressful chaos that you would expect from a Safdie film, this section sadly lost me a bit. Not because of the quality of filmmaking as it was outstanding, but how familiar it felt. The second act of Marty Supreme felt like a retread of what we have seen in Josh’s previous films such as Good Times and Uncut Gems. While still exhilarating, it felt safe and uninspired as I was hoping Josh would shake it up a bit, but he sadly retreats back to what he knows.
Thankfully, Marty Supreme was able to reel me back in with its final act. While Marty is by all means a narcissistic asshole and watching his life implode as he pursues his American dream is satisfying, you kind of can’t help but cheer for him. While Marty’s entire story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hustle culture in pursuit of your dreams, you kind of have to admire Marty’s dedication. So as the lights dimmed on the match between Marty and his rival Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi, a real professional table tennis player), you can’t help but be gripped by the stakes of this match. While it is Marty’s pride on the line, you feel like his entire life is on the line. The film shows this match with all of the intensity that you would expect. Sweat is dripping down their faces, the ball going back and forth between the two at increasing speeds, you feel the intensity of this match to your very bones. And it is exhilarating.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed Marty Supreme and its cautionary tale about the dangers of hustling your way in achieving your American Dream. But deep in the back of my mind, I can’t help but feel like Marty Supreme is a little safe. The film feels like a retread of what Josh Safdie has directed before, both narratively and filmmaking. While the film is still undeniably well-made and is an exhilarating ride, I can’t help but feel like this film felt incredibly safe.
My Rating: A-
Marty Supreme is now in theaters nationwide.
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