Saw Marty Supreme late Friday night in a close to sold out theater.
Nobody believes in 23 year old Marty Mauser more than Marty Mauser himself. Marty is a table tennis prodigy, small time hustler, and full time liar. He is about to have his faith and confidence in himself tested like never before while attempting to scrounge up enough money to travel to Tokyo for a table tennis tournament.
Struggling to deal with the extra complications of a pregnant fling (Rachel, played by Odessa A’zion), an aging gangster’s lost dog (Ezra, played by Abel Ferrara), and a real Jerky McJerkface of a businessman and his wife Marty is screwing behind his back (Milton and Kay, played by Kevin O’Leary and Gwyneth Paltrow), will he crumble under the stress or will Marty reign supreme?
Josh Safdie’s first solo feature is a real winner. His direction is impeccable and confident. He co-penns the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein, and nails it out of the park. The screenplay is consistently, sharp, witty, and funny. The score by Daniel Lopatin is masterful and gorgeous.
The cinematography by Darius Khondji is expertly done, looking crisp with just enough film grain. The editing by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein is phenomenal. This film moves at a great clip. It runs at close to two hours and thirty minutes, but flies by. You won’t be bored.
Casting real life villain Kevin O’Leary/ Mr. Wonderful as an antagonist is an inspired and clever decision. Mr. Wonderful does fine enough, shining mostly in two specific scenes during the third act. Gwyneth Paltrow impresses with minimal screen time as Marty’s high-risk affair. Paltrow crafts a character with layers that ends up being likable by the end.
Tyler the Creator leaves an impression as Wally, a cab driver and hustler who is one of Marty’s friends. He’s a minor role, but lights up the screen whenever he’s on. Odessa A’zion (from Until Dawn and the Hellraiser reboot) blazes brightly as Marty’s sometimes partner-in-crime. Even when she is partaking in Marty’s morally questionable schemes, you can’t help but root for her. She’s the stand-out of the supporting cast.
Timothee Chalamet is Marty Mauser. More than anyone on or behind the screen, this film belongs to him. He takes a character that could easily be described as a meanie, an Jerky McJerkface, a phallic noggin, or a brat (but not a bad guy) and makes him immensely likable and attractive. Chalamet exudes natural, effortless, youthful charisma throughout.
It’s always a joy and a thrill to watch Timothee act. It’s not just difficult, but downright impossible to tear your eyes away from him whenever he’s on screen. He makes Marty’s personal crucible incredibly engaging and unbearably tense (think of something close to the level of intensity of Uncut Gems or Good Time). I’m not ashamed to say I would degrade myself for this man. Give Chalamet the gold, he’s more than earned it.
Marty Supreme is a thrilling, fun, tense, anxiety-inducing, and oddly touching movie-going experience about relentless, blind, all-consuming youthful ambition and drive. It’s set in the 50s, but permeated with 80s needle-drops and a restless, manic energy. Much like Marty himself, it defies all the odds. It very well might be the best movie of 2025. You have to see it to believe it.
5 STARS