In a year full of stories commenting on modern American culture, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme might be the most American film of the year. Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet) is a young, hungry and overly confident table tennis player that is chasing greatness–which happens to be the marketing campaign surrounding the film–he’s looking to cement himself as the greatest table tennis player in the world.
Mauser is profoundly American, whether it’s the custom made orange ping-pong balls with his nameship and “Made in America” printed underneath three stars or his reckless nature when it comes to his entitled cadence and having unprotected sex–see the best opening credits of the year–he is the basis for the fiery and ambitious nature of the United States. Although, I don’t necessarily find this read of Mauser to be a portrait of creative paralysis. This film is a trial of Chalamet’s cinematic bravura; and it succeeds, creating some of the most visually arresting sequences of the year.
In Josh Safdie’s adrenaline-fueled follow up to Uncut Gems–this time without his also talented brother–Marty Supreme feels like watching Olympians swimming the 200m event. It’s electrifying and can be best analogized as Boogie Nights meeting Vision Quest. There are characters that foil Mauser’s inability to take a breath, but this is the ultimate showcase for an actor like Chalamet who has said he is chasing greatness in his own career.
Supreme can be overstuffed at times, especially with a subplot that only seems to exist for the sole purpose of having some envelope pushing sequences and to give the audience some more breadcrumbs in Mauser’s journey. As the film heads to the finish line, the moments can feel a bit unearned, yet, why would I want less of Chalamet getting himself into trouble?
For all the film’s whirligig camera moves and brisk New York City pace, the most visually stunning moments are the simple and elegant gestures of Chalamet’s performance. It’s the slick, Queens-like bragging cadence that brings Mauser to life after he becomes intimate with Gwenyth Paltrow’s character who is a retired film actress married to a pen company mogul played by none other than Kevin O’Leary (Mr. Wonderful). The final match towards the end of the film is when I felt most connected to Mauser. His ability to capture that triumphant feeling was undeniable and had myself teary eyed.
Audiences can read Marty Supreme as a portrait of American capitalism, but I most connect with the film as an After Hours adjacent, big scale exercise of excess. It’s overstuffed, yet it never halts the energy. It’s clear Chalamet was born to play Mauser and this is nothing short of a career-defining moment. Safdie already proved himself as one of the most exciting in the business with his slew of independent hits, but this film feels like a rite of passage for something even more at scale in the future. Marty Supreme will keep your blood pumping and heart open.
