Marty Supreme Movie Review

Marty Supreme (2025)

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Written by: Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Directed by: Josh Safdie
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher
Rated: R
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Plot
Marty Mauser aggressively pursues greatness through scams and competitive table tennis in a quest for a world championship in Tokyo.

Verdict
It's frenetic from the start as Marty schemes his way to hopefully become the champion of ping pong. The way to make an exciting table tennis movie is to avoid the sport for the most part. Marty gets into and in turn tries to get out of trouble for most of the movie. It's relentless in a great way. This is a thrill ride, but Marty is irritating due to his extreme selfishness. Everyone he meets is a prop or tool to further his own means, and he's willing to lie and steal from anyone if it will aid his goal. Ironically, Marty is very good at ping pong. The problem is no one cares about his sport. It's not as prestigious as he'd like to think. Part of the fun in watching this is wondering what ill-conceived idea will topple him.
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Review
Like the movies Josh Safie co-directed with his brother, Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019), this is a rush from nearly the beginning as we follow a deeply flawed character navigating a chaotic situation.

Opening with Marty (Timothée Chalamet) working at a shoe store, he gets a promotion to manager he doesn't want. His goal is to be a table tennis champion, not a shoe salesman. That leads into an interesting title sequence of a sperm fertilizing an egg that transforms into a table tennis ball.

Timothée Chalamet plays Marty Mauser

Marty's a bit insufferable, amplified by the fact that this is all over ping pong. Does he really believe ping pong will be such a big sport or is he selling it as a means to sell himself and get what he wants? He robs the shoe store's vault, stating it's what he's owed. This early in the movie we don't know that he's just saying anything to get what he wants and justify his actions.

He travels to a tournament in London, complaining about the accommodations and moves to a hotel. Marty also develops an interest in actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) who's staying at the same hotel. I'd guess in part it's his ego. Marty wants something coveted that others can't get. What's her interest in him? Does she like someone younger fawning over her, reminding her of her past fame? I don't think she was won over by his tenacity and bravado alone.

Timothée Chalamet plays Marty Mauser

He's a showman employing trick shots in the semi-finals for attention. In the finals against Endo, Marty isn't doing well. We've seen him perform so well before that this seems out of character with what appears to be easy returns. I wondered if he was prolonging the match until Rockwell, Kay's husband, showed up. Marty hopes to convince Rockwell to be his benefactor.

This remains energetic, though I wondered how table tennis would drive excitement. That's through instead focusing on Marty's ill conceived exploits as he runs from one problem into another while trying to take his position as the table tennis champion. It's an endeavor that seems pointless, but he is passionate to the detriment of everything else. Marty isn't likable, and that's the point. He's focused on himself. Everything good, he wants the credit. Anything bad is someone else's fault. His girlfriend is pregnant, and he insists it isn't his based on the fact that he doesn't want to deal with the consequences. He and his friend Wally hustle a bowling alley that has a ping pong table. The local's aren't happy.

Koto Kawaguchi, Timothée Chalamet play Koto Endo, Marty Mauser

Everything is a prop for Marty to take advantage. That leads to a never ending string of bad decisions that only irritate everyone around him when they realize they've been used. He hustled Kay, and even admits to stealing from her. He's a strategist, and the admission works. She continues helping him even after that confession. He doesn't have as easy a time against Rockwell. Marty goes to him for help to get to Japan for the championship. Rockwell agrees to pay Marty's way, granted Marty agrees to some humiliation. We don't know if it's because Rockwell knows what Marty did with his wife or, like everyone else, Rockwell just doesn't like him.

Marty wants to prove how good he is at everything, all the time. He truly believes he's great at all things. While he makes it to Japan, his scams only get him so far. He gets the match he wants even if it isn't exactly the venue he had hoped. Marty underestimated Rockwell. Marty thought he was taking advantage of the guy, but he realizes too late that the person getting taken for a ride was Marty. While he's humbled and gets a redemption moment, I don't believe Marty has fundamentally changed.