MARTY SUPREME (2025) review
written by: Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein
produced by: Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Anthony Katagas, and Timothée Chalamet
directed by: Josh Safdie
rated: R (for language throughout, sexual content, some violent content/bloody images and nudity)
runtime: 150 min.
U.S. release date: December 25, 2025
“Marty Supreme” reaffirms Timothée Chalamet’s bona fide movie star status. It’s a movie with an insane amount of energy and attitude, with an unpredictable original story that’s bolstered by the actor’s exhilarating lead performance. Some may eye roll at Chalamet, feeling he’s overexposed, but there’s no denying that he’s a gifted actor, and his persistent, exuberant drive makes him an arguably welcome presence in the movie-making industry. His partnership with director Josh Safdie (they co-produce) on a feature that follows an ambitious, arrogant table tennis player in the 1950s is a wild ride that delivers comedy, violence, deception, and plenty of ping-pong.
Immediately, Safdie catches our attention and curiosity by opening with “Change” by Tears for Fears. The movie also ends with another, much more famous Tears for Fears song. Wait, isn’t this supposed to take place in the 50s? Why is there music from the 1980s? Don’t fret, it all makes sense for the askewed atmosphere Safdie invites us to. Music from both decades is interspersed throughout “Marty Supreme,” with the likes of Alphaville, Public Image Ltd., and Peter Gabriel, mixed in with Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and New Age material like Constance Demby, and it makes sense for both the vibe and the period. Apart from the infectious needle drops, the dreamy synth score by American composer Daniel Lopatin (best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN) makes the feature’s overall sound stand out as a character in its own right.
When we meet Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), he’s a young man working at a shoe store in New York City in 1952. His charm and fast-talking personality make him a good salesman, but he doesn’t believe in what he sells unless he’s selling himself. He doesn’t look back and is restless about his present, instead focusing all his energy on his future. Marty dreams of becoming the greatest table tennis player ever. He’s definitely talented, but no one he knows takes him or the sport seriously, and he’ll need money to make his vision a reality. But the one thing he’s better at than playing ping pong is hustling. He can convince anyone of anything. After leaving his job and his lifelong married friend, Rachel (Odessa A’zion), with whom he’s had an affair, Marty swindles his way to the U.K. for an important tournament, where he ascends to the championship game.
Unfortunately, Marty is defeated in that championship game by Japanese star player Endo (played by Koto Kawaguchi, an award-winning Japanese National Deaf Table Tennis Championship winner), leaving him humiliated. He somehow manages to make his way back to New York City, despite having neither money nor honor. Still, his determination hasn’t diminished. Desperate to make money to get him back in the game and hopefully a rematch, Marty spots fading movie star and socialite, Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), one night, and focuses his seduction tactics. He sees her husband, Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary, a Canadian businessman best known as a Shark Tank investor since 2009), a wealthy ink manufacturer, as a financial means to an end.
Of course, nothing can be easy when chasing one’s dream, and being a compulsive liar and selfish narcissist will definitely get Marty into some challenging situations. He will inevitably be surrounded by those who either don’t see or understand his greatness, those who encourage him, or those who are against him. Neither his mother, Rebecca (Fran Drescher), nor his uncle, Murray (Larry “Ratso” Sloman), the latter of whom owns the shoe store where Marty works, can see ping-pong as anything more than a hobby. Marty can’t be bothered by either of them, nor can he be troubled by Rachel’s abusive husband, Ira Mizler (Emory Cohen), or her current pregnant state. Yes, it’s his baby, but that’s one more thing that could come between him and his goal.
What we gradually discover is that almost every character that Marty encounters on the precarious road to his destiny is considered an inconvenient obstacle. These supporting roles sprinkle the movie with wonderfully diverse, oddball characters played by a select cast that is equally wonderful and odd. Marty’s egotistical determination tests the friendship he has with taxi driver, Wally (Tyler Okonma), and whatever it is he has with Rachel, someone who’s proving more resourceful and reliable than Marty deserves. It takes a while for Marty to realize that Rachel is a fitting partner (like literally the last ten minutes of this two-and-a-half-hour wild ride) even though she holds her own as they encounter the likes of local gangster Ezra Mishkin (Abel Ferrara) and combative farmer, Hoff (Penn Jillette), all of whom are connected by a prized dog belonging to Ezra and a lingering debt Marty owes from the previous tournament.
The zany world of “Marty Supreme” comes from the minds of Safdie and Ronald Bronstein, who wrote the screenplay, having previously worked on “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time”, two critically acclaimed thrillers directed by Safdie and his brother, Benny Safdie. While Benny focused on helming “The Smashing Machine” with Dwayne Johnson, ping-pong aficionado Josh worked on “Marty Supreme” with Bronstein, both of whom also served as frenetic editors on the table tennis dramedy. Safdie also reunites with “Uncut Gems” cinematographer Darius Khondji, who has an uncanny knack for following characters closely and carefully, astutely capturing their expressions in the moment. Khondji also knows when to slow down in a movie that is primarily driven by its kinetic pace, giving viewers a chance to catch their breath.
Speaking of which, the resilient titular character barely comes up for air throughout the movie, and Chalamet’s intense commitment to the role is undeniable. He had a challenging role last year playing Bob Dylan, someone so recognizable, but here he’s free from the scrutiny of a biopic. Granted, this isn’t a wholly original creation, being loosely based on the late Martin Reisman (died in 2012), himself a fixture and showman in the New York City table tennis community. Despite Chalamet’s physical resemblance to Reisman, the screenplay goes out of its way to lean into a kinetic pace and impossible situations that alternate between humorous and shocking.
Chalamet’s Marty Mauser is simultaneously one of the most fascinating and annoying protagonists to grace the screen this year. And Chalamet relishes all of it. He’s an awful human being, but his audacious charm and unbelievable self-love make his fast-talking, incorrigible ways easy to follow. Lives are ruined in the wake of his pursuit of table tennis glory, but he doesn’t notice it, since he has uncanny tunnel vision and no moral core. Chalamet revels in portraying Marty’s obnoxious personality as he squirms his way in and out of anything that challenges his dream. I thought he was tremendous as Dylan, which was a hard thing to do, but it feels like Marty frees him up from the trappings of playing a well-known real-life character, and it’s easy to see how he’s running with it here. It’s easily his best performance to date.
The other standout performances in “Marty Supreme” are the actresses who play the two women that Marty uses. This is Paltrow’s first non-Marvel performance in almost a decade, and she’s great as Kay, conveying someone who sees right through Marty, yet goes along with it anyway because of where she’s at in life. She’s an ornament for her husband, but when this scrappy young kid obsesses over her, it’s a feeling she probably hasn’t felt in forever. This will likely be considered a breakout role for Odessa A’zion, yet she was great in “Pools”, released earlier this year. Her role as Rachel will likely earn her a wider audience, and it’s well-deserved, given how she handles the part’s complexity. At some point, she decides she’d be better off staying with Marty and all his problematic toxicity than remaining with her abusive husband. In doing so, she proves herself a valuable partner to Marty and eventually helps him come out the other end of his endless selfish cycle.
As a character, Marty Mauser is repellent and genuinely awful, and some will feel that spending nearly 150 minutes with him is painful. As a movie, “Marty Supreme” is something wild, filled with anxiety, insanity, and adrenaline. The audience is in on just how terrible Marty is, but he’s an undeniably enthralling character to follow, thanks to the writing and Chalamet’s spirited performance. It’s one of those movies that has to be experienced in a theater where you’ll hear others gasp along with you.
RATING: ****
