As with “Good Times” or “Uncut Gems” from directors Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie, “Marty Supreme” is another egotistical enraged protagonist, doing everything in his power to achieve one simple goal, to become the best at table tennis in a 1950’s America where the sport was not taken seriously. We are taken through a journey not of an average sports movie, but more of all the crazy events and all of the people he harms to achieve his goals, begging for money from others, being in relationships with two different married women, or involving himself in a murder of a man.
Marty is played by Timothée Chalamet, showcasing his annual Christmas box office hit and allowing him again to be one of the top contenders for the “Best Actor” Oscar, where many mention to be one of his biggest goals to be completed. Chalamet transforms himself into this ego-maniac tennis player, displaying a large scheme of emotions that focused a lot of times on “How can I get out of this situation?” or the complete opposite of “How can I benefit from this?” A Safdie film, now directed only by Josh, always has a trademark for quick-paced scenes, escaping from police or being involved in many different chase scenes, and for this as the protagonist you have to keep up the rhythm and go along with the flow, and Chalamet does this perfectly.
There are many new faces in this picture that are having their first exposure to a film of such caliber, such as Odessa A’zion who does a pretty good job and delivers what was needed as the mother of Marty’s kid, giving a more emotional side to him and being the initiator of some of the only snippets away from the action and Tyler Okonma, commonly known as “Tyler The Creator” becoming a great sidekick to our protagonist. Finally, Gwyneth Paltrow and Keavin O’Leary, the multi-millionaire investor, make an appearance as a wealthy couple and the only entrance or Marty to real money for his travel expenses.
Marty Supreme kept many of the audience on its toes, and it made the 150-minute running time feel like a sweep, making every second entertaining, from the cinematography to the beautiful soundtrack. Many of its duration is the actual journey Marty takes to many different competitions, but it’s not completely the ending what makes the film but the path to get there. While it was enjoyable to see Marty compete in the world championship of this sport, the most memorable scenes are the unimaginable scenarios that he would get himself in, while the production made every scene feel more stressful than the last one.
Marty Supreme sets itself up to be another story about a reach for perfection, for being better than everyone else, even if it destroys everything around you, and it continues to be one of the most entertaining plots to watch. I strongly recommend it to anyone reading.
