Film Review - Marty Supreme
Images courtesy of A24.
Marty Supreme is a bombastic and intense ride from start to finish. Director/Co-Writer Josh Safdie has crafted his most exciting and inviting film, thanks to the backdrop of ping pong and the power of Timothée Chalamet.
Set in early 50s New York City, shoe salesman Marty Mauser (Chalamet) is determined that he’ll be rich and famous by becoming the table tennis champion of the world. However, aspirations can only take him so far as financial problems, multiple affairs, the police, and his own ego constantly stall him from achieving his dreams.
There’s an argument that can be made that this film is just a showcase for Chalamet’s talent as a performer. And that argument could prevail, as Marty Supreme demonstrates that Chalamet is aggressive in his bid to be the greatest actor of his generation. Like Safdie’s protagonists in his previous films (Good Time, Uncut Gems), Marty Mauser is a character whose choices throughout will make the audience groan at how he treats others. Chalamet’s energetically charismatic performance makes the character’s journey of ambition, ego and self-destruction so captivating and entertaining. You can’t stand him, yet you can’t look away. By the end of the film, Chalamet proves to the critics and audiences that he’s not going anywhere anytime soon until he wins an Oscar, which might ultimately be deserved.
The film’s ensemble is depicted as either obstacles or allies. However, their performances, alongside the screenplay written by Safdie and his Co-Writer/Editor, Ronald Bronstein, help each character feel like they’re in their own movie and on their own intriguing journey. Odessa A'zion, as Marty’s childhood friend Rachel, has the most screen time compared to the rest of the ensemble and is heavily emotionally invested in Marty’s schemes and actions. She’s the second strongest actor of the piece; as a result, nothing against the remainder of the supporting cast (Tyler, the Creator, Kevin O’Leary, and Gwyneth Paltrow, in a particularly great comeback performance), as they’re just as impressive.
Safdie has topped all of his own previous work with Marty Supreme. It’s his most visually striking film. Right from the opening credits, the film feels like an epic, but simultaneously an intimate character study. The top-class production design, combined with the use of vintage anamorphic lenses and 35mm film, drops the audience into one of the most realistic depictions of the early 1950s across multiple continents. But don’t worry. It’s still a Safdie film, so it doesn’t forget to take the audience on an emotionally anxious ride that barely stops. The anxiety is highly elevated when it comes to the editing of the table tennis sequences in particular. It’s telling that Safdie, even on his biggest film yet, isn’t afraid to push boundaries and maintain the raw unpredictability in his filmmaking style.
Marty Supreme is ultimately an epic tale about the American dream. One must be relentless and will likely suffer greatly, but it’s a hell of a ride that can end in a sweet place.
Marty Supreme is screening in cinemas from Thursday the 22nd of December. For tickets and more info, click here.