‘Marty Supreme’ Review: Josh Safdie’s Gonzo, Epic Ode to Working-Class American Dreamers Unearths Timothée Chalamet at His Career-Best
When Josh and Benny Safdie announced their bro-breakup a la the Coen brothers with two separate projects (both about sports), I was curious to see their respective visions as individuals. Not necessarily to see which brother "got the juice" because that’s such a reductive way of looking at art, but to see their specific styles. Between Benny’s wrestling-focused bio-drama, Smashing Machine, and Josh’s freewheeling Marty Supreme, the latter enticed me more. Mainly because it’s Timothée Chalamet and Josh maximizing their joint New Yorker energy. While Marty Supreme is a twisted, trademark Safdie screwball dramedy akin to Uncut Gems' aura, it's also a powerful, hilarious, and true testament to the might and resilience to pursue your impossible dream no matter what.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of A24
MPA Rating: R (for some strong language, violence and suggestive references.)
Runtime: 2 Hours and 29 Minutes
Language: English
Production Companies: Central Pictures
Distributor: A24
Director: Josh Safdie
Writers: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, Luke Manley, Koto Kawaguchi
U.S Release Date: December 25, 2025
In 1952, Marty Mouser (Chalamet), a quick-witted, fast-talking 23-year-old table tennis player, leaves his uncle's shoe store to compete in the global table tennis tournament in London. Not before inadvertently hooking up with Rachel Mizler (Odessa A'zion), his loyal childhood best friend, secret girlfriend, and neighbor, despite her being married to Ira (Emory Cohen), and stealing his uncle's money to cover his trip's fare.
Upon his arrival, Marty hustles his way into an expensive room at The Ritz. He rises in the tournament, which feeds his already inflated ego, and wins over actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), a former Hollywood starlet trying to cling to the limelight. He also garners the attention of her pen company businessman husband, Milton Rockwell (Kevin O'Leary). On the day of the finals, he loses to Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), a Japanese player and would-be national hero, and crashes out big time. All else fails, so he travels with the Harlem Globetrotters at the behest of his colleague across the globe as a halftime show pony to score some cash.
Upon his return eight months later, he's forced to pay back his uncle, leaving him poorer than before, and Rachel is very pregnant with his child. With his crazed ego, "can-do" attitude, and long list of hairball schemes, Marty must devise a strategy to finance his journey to Japan for a rematch. This leads him into situations like his taxi-driver pal from the table tennis underworld, Wally (Tyler Okonma), getting involved with a bowling alley betting scheme gone wrong, a sketchy man named Ezra (Abel Ferrara) and his dog that goes missing, and a ton of orange ping-pong balls.
Marty Supreme refines a familiar archetype, providing a nuanced and perverse analysis of the American idealist.
(L-R) Tyler Okonma as Wally and Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mouser in ‘Marty Supreme’ Credit: Courtesy of A24
Marty Mouser is based on Marty Reisman. Josh Safdie and frequent collaborator and co-writer Ronald Bronstein (Good Time, Uncut Gems) read who he was and applied their familiar brand of scumbag hustler to him. He's a compulsive liar, con artist, opportunistic, blinded by his own hype, and fueled by his delusion of grandeur. But out of all his lies, there's only one truth about him: he can play tf out of ping-pong. With that talent, it's easy to be swept up in his familiar presence.
Given that many great star athletes were making a name for themselves and expressing their purpose in the post-war era, Marty's refusal to settle for a provincial life – especially with the skills to realize his dream – radiates the American idealist. That gung-ho spirit of being your own biggest hype man is so incessant that it clouds your judgment. Yet none of that matters as long as you inch towards greatness, as long as you never admit "defeat," like how the Goonies never say "die." Plus, he's a snot-nosed early-20s kid with a false sense of security.
Marty's naivete and youthfulness, working-class background, and post-war Jewish-American identity are the intriguing ingredients that Safdie and Bronstein give their lead. His background provides the film with a rich, underdog texture.
Marty Supreme is Uncut Gems meets Ed, Edd n Eddy.
Odessa A’zion as Rachel in Marty Supreme Credit:CourtesyofA2
Marty Supreme's overall comedic screwball tone and filmmaking remind me of Uncut Gems; it feels like a greatest hits down to its opening sequence being the "business in the front" to Uncut's "party in the back." Nevertheless, the film is more comparable to Ed, Edd n Eddy as the pinnacle of screwball cartoonism. Mouser is Eddy if he were a table tennis pro, and the schemes to get the bag for a jawbreaker were replaced with the need to go to Japan to reclaim his glory. Moreover, Daniel Lopatin's lucid and intensifying score, which adds character and deepens the mood of each scene, shares the same sense of precise timing as the slapstick in the animated series, adding to the gonzo, madcap energy. The film also takes big swings on music supervision, all non-diagetic needle drops from the post-Marty, beautifully correlates to the range of Lopatin's score, especially an insane and incredible needle drop for an end credits song that had me viscerally choked up.
Because Marty Supreme is also a period piece, the cinematography from Safdie alum Darius Khondji, along with legendary production designer Jack Fisk's sweeping vision, captures a 1950s New York and a unique glimpse into the gritty underworld without coming across as noir. Instead, it captures the energy and class differences of the city, as well as the unique yet welcoming world of table tennis.
The phenomenal supporting ensemble makes the film even more memorable. I'm dumbfounded by how the stunt-casting of real magnate scumbag Kevin O'Leary adds to the portrait of working-class resilience and how well he commands the screen, specifically in a scene that gives you as much empathy for its perverse lead as one had for Eddy upon meeting his brother at a low, frightening moment of humility. As Kay Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow brings a distinguished frankness and class to her long-awaited comeback to the big screen.
The film's true star is Odessa A'zion as Rachel Mizler, who is a powerhouse revelation. The way she commands the screen with confidence and sometimes erratic behavior steals the show from Chalamet. There's a secret, twisted rom-com going on throughout, as you can tell that Marty unconsciously seeks outside approval while Mizler, who is pregnant with his baby, shows unwavering dedication. In a matter of seconds, her chemistry with Chalamet is so dynamic that it gives their characters more weight.
Marty Supreme is Timothée Chalamet’s best lead performance to date since Call Me By Your Name
(L-R) Pico Iyer, Koto Kawaguchi, Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’ Credit: Courtesy of A24
Little Timmy Tim should have saved his “I want to be one of the greats” SAG Awards acceptance speech for A Complete Unknown for this film instead, because Marty Supreme is the best he’s been since Call Me By Your Name. Chalamet is one of the best actors of our generation. However, he’s failed to impress me in recent roles (outside of Paul Atreides in the Dune series). Despite his New Yorker heritage providing an advantage, Marty Supreme is a career-best performance, illustrating his dedication and remarkable comedic sensibility. Chalamet oozes humanity in this incredibly self-centered man with unfathomable charisma and fast-talking confidence. Not to mention the impressive physicality, as he has been taking ping-pong lessons since 2018 in preparation. Chalamet really shines in the last twenty minutes of the movie, when the tagline "Dream Big" is realized. His brilliant moment is captured in a dizzying, emotionally stirring match where he demonstrates his worth, almost bringing me to tears. The preceding chaos pays off exceptionally for that particular moment, which had me introspect about myself and career.
In the span between my first viewing during the not-so-secret NYFF screening and my recent rewatch, I found my freelance pillars dismantled in real time. Something, in case you’re new here, I’ve been working towards for 13 years. Leading me to move like Marty and think about the hustle while pursuing this dream, I'd rather die than accept defeat. I find myself in my day-to-day grind, more enamored by Safdie's impeccable depiction of New York hustle culture from a marginalized perspective, especially given what the Jewish community faced during this film’s era. The film speaks to the instinctive desire to pursue the American dream. Greatness lives within all of us and while we don’t have the funds, we have the talent, and the will to make it happen. It's an attitude people should strive for, whether it’s in table tennis, or a career in film journalism, or any passion you put your mind towards. It’s what I’ve experienced as a born-and-bred lower class New Yorker, and what I felt viscerally through this Jewish-American con-man. It might be the most raw and honest NYC movie ever made, and I think that is pretty supreme.
FINAL STATEMENT
Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme, propelled by Timothée Chalamet at a career high, is a raw, screwball, chaotic toast to the insatiable individualistic working-class desire to fulfill an ultimate destiny and demonstrate our reason for existing. An absolute SCHWEP.
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