Film Review – Marty Supreme

December 24th, 2025 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

It makes sense that the main character of Marty Supreme (2025) starts off working part time at a shoe store. In presence, actions, and speech, Marty Mauser is the ultimate salesman. He dreams of being a world champion table tennis player, but he could very well be mistaken for someone selling you fake jewelry on the street corner. Marty talks a fast game, uses everyone he knows to his benefit, and is willing to do and say anything to get what he wants. In that way, he epitomizes the American stereotype: brash, loud, and uncompromising. But it’s that very arrogance and determination that makes Marty such a compelling character. His confidence will lead him to either glory or catastrophe. 

Director Josh Safdie – in his first solo effort following brother Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine (2025) – has crafted a hyper-kinetic story that has the look of a sports drama but the nervy energy of a crime thriller. He takes the foundation he developed in Daddy Longlegs (2009), Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019) and amplified it in his largest production to date. Co-writing with Ronald Bronstein, Safdie weaves a tale loosely inspired by real life table tennis champion, Marty Reisman. We are dropped into post-war 1950s, with the world trying to get back on its feet. Among those clamoring for success is the aforementioned Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a two-bit hustler with dreams of table tennis glory. Although Marty has plenty of talent, he does not have the funding or endorsements to get him across the world to compete. And so, he must advertise himself as the next great athlete in the next great sport, trying to get anyone to believe in him enough to give him their money.

But this is so much more than just a person trying to be the best at their sport. Safdie and his crew stuff the narrative with dozens of spinning plates and charges Marty to keep them all from falling. In his quest to obtain financial backing, Marty goes on an odyssey that takes him around New York and into New Jersey. He runs into a variety of characters and gets into all sorts of trouble. Every situation he faces is either an obstacle or an opportunity. This includes his family, his lifelong friend Rachel (Odessa A’zion), actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her business mogul husband (Kevin O’Leary), fellow hustler Wally (Tyler the Creator), as well as the police and some dangerous street guys. It’s a tornado of chaos for Marty. The strain of avoiding his enemies, manipulating his friends, and getting to the big tournament on time is like a noose slowly tightening around his neck. A large majority of his problems are self-inflicted. Marty is so focused on his end goals that he has trouble seeing the path of destruction he leaves in his wake. 

It’s remarkable how Safdie and his crew organize these moving pieces to draw out the most drama and garner the biggest laughs. He sets up the different elements and allows them to clash almost at once. And any given moment, we may find Marty running away from the cops only to come face to face with Ira (Emory Cohen), Rachel’s husband who suspects that she and Marty are more than just friends. Let’s not forget the knife wielding Abel Ferrara, hunting Marty down to find out what happened to his lost dog. Oh, and did a bathtub just fall through the ceiling?! The story reminds us of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985) in how anything and everything happens to one character. But in the case of Marty Surpreme, Josh Safdie adds two extra shots of adrenaline. The multiple threads are accompanied by dialogue that constantly has characters talking and yelling over one another. In an unconventional artistic choice, we also get a soundtrack that includes 1980s pop artists like New Order, Tears for Fears, Peter Gabriel, and Constance Demby. These clashing components creates a scenario where we are never allowed to relax.

The cinematography (Darius Khondji), production design (Jack Fisk), and editing (Safdie, Bronstein) create a gritty, grain-filled visual aesthetic. Each location we visit has a distinctly lived-in quality. Whether it’s the streets of NYC, the cramped apartment where Marty and his family live, the fancy suites where he has his rendezvous with Kay, the smoky bars where he and Wally swindle unsuspecting marks, to the vibrant colors of Japan – each place feels alive and organic. The one place where this doesn’t necessarily apply is during the table tennis matches. The arenas where Marty plays are nearly pitch black except for spotlights that shine directly onto the table. The atmosphere has an otherworldly vibe, as though Marty and his opponent are battling in the pits of the afterlife. This approach makes the matches tense and immediate. From what I’ve learned, Chalamet practiced ping pong for years to look as convincing as possible. The actual playing looks realistic, as opposed to the CGI enhancements of the table tennis scenes in Forrest Gump (1994). The colors and textures give Marty Supreme a sweaty, grimy aesthetic.

It would be easy to claim Marty as an unlikeable character. He is self-centered and narcissistic. When he tries to convince someone of his greatness, we sense that he does so to convince himself as well. He’s willing to sacrifice anything for stardom, including his dignity. But he’s also a much more layered, complex, and fascinating person. He displays multiple shades to his personality, good and bad. A big reason for this is the career best performance from Timothée Chalamet. Sporting glasses and a thin mustache, Chalamet inhabits Marty as a weaselly showman. His larger-than-life bravado is only matched by his passion for table tennis. It’s as though he pushes himself to notoriety out of sheer force of will. He doesn’t take “No” for an answer and gets to places simply because he refuses to give up. Part of this mindset is admirable, in how people will do whatever it takes to leave their mark. But as the movie shows, it can also lead to pain and suffering. The writing, direction, and acting understands this, and balances things out with a powerful third act where everything snaps into place. Marty sees the consequences of his actions and confronts that which is most important to him. All the mayhem he experiences create a moment of devastating clarity. It’s these final minutes that elevates the material into the stratosphere. 

Marty Supreme is a rollercoaster of anxiety, disorder, and humanity. A movie this sprawling and propulsive requires surgical precision. Safdie, Chalamet, and the rest of the production deliver exactly as needed. This is fantastic storytelling. It grabs us by the shoulders and takes us along for the ride without ever letting up. But it isn’t just about its thrills. The film also puts in equal effort in giving us colorful characters, all of whom are dealing with their own problems, issues, and hang ups. This is a bizarre, twisty journey that goes in unpredictable directions. By the end, our heads and hearts are left spinning, in the best ways possible.

A24, Abel Ferrara, After Hours, Benny Safdie, Constance Demby, Daddy Longlegs, Darius Khondji, Emory Cohen, Featured, Forrest Gump, Good Time, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Fisk, Josh Safdie, Kevin O'Leary, Martin Scorsese, Marty Reisman, Marty Supreme, New Order, Odessa A'zion, Peter Gabriel, Ronald Bronstein, Tears for Fears, The Smashing Machine, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler the Creator, Uncut Gems