Set in New York City during the 1950s, Marty Supreme tells the story of Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a young man with a big dream of becoming a table tennis champion. Marty lives in a world that refuses to view the sport as anything more than a novelty, but he refuses to back down. Even with the odds stacked against him, he is determined to chase his dream and prove that his passion for ping pong deserves to be taken seriously.
I may have come down with a case of Marty Fever because Marty Supreme is easily the most entertaining and engaging film I have seen this year. From the very first scene, the film pulls you into its wild and unpredictable world and never lets go. The opening sequence, which carries a similar intensity to Uncut Gems, bursts onto the screen with a confidence and energy that immediately signals to the audience that they are in for one hell of a ride. By the time that sequence comes to an end, I could feel in my gut that Marty Supreme was going to be something truly special.
Marty Supreme combines so many different genres into one standout experience. It blurs the lines of comedy, coming-of-age, satire, romance, drama, and even a bit of action and thriller thrown in for good measure. And not just in a chaotic kind of way, but in a deeply intentional one. The tonal balancing act is genuinely impressive. The movie flows from laugh-out-loud absurdity to heartfelt vulnerability to edge of your seat thrills without missing a beat. Every shift feels earned. Every moment feels like it’s building toward something bigger. Josh Safdie clearly trusts his audience to roll with it, and I love when a film has that kind of faith in its viewers instead of trying to spoon feed them.
What really elevates Marty Supreme beyond being just a great time at the movies is its script. The writing here is razor sharp. It’s witty, surprising, fearless, and like the direction and performances, is constantly engaging. The fast paced nature alongside the snarky quality to the dialogue keeps scenes moving even when nothing major is happening in the story. Every character feels as if they belong in this world, every interaction reveals something that adds to the story itself, and the pacing is near perfect. Even the subplots, and yes, there are several of them, feel like they’re adding necessary depth to the story rather than weighing it down.
It is kind of weird to say that Marty Supreme feels somewhat personal not only to writers Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein but Timothée Chalamet. You can tell they all sat down with this vision and went all in without little to no hesitation. The comedy lands because it comes from character and the situations. The emotional beats work because they’re rooted in actual stakes and relationships rather than forced sentimentality. And the more thrilling moments genuinely surprise because the film has already trained you not to expect the expected. The story kept unfolding in ways that felt true to these chaotic, bizarre, and wholly compelling characters.
Timothée Chalamet delivers his best and finest work to date. He’s funny, he’s confident, he’s unpredictable, and he leans into the absurdity of Marty without ever turning the character into a caricature. There is a level of committment to this performance that feels kind of liberating, as if Chalamet knows that he is finally getting the chance to show a side of him that audiences haven’t yet seen explored on the big screen. He carries the film with such confidence and charisma that is impossible to not to want to root for him despite him being a completely self serving and manipulative prick. This is a performance that is truly next level, and the final few minutes of the film completely seals the deal as it brings Marty’s entire arc full circle in a way that’s surprisingly breathtaking and emotionally powerful. If you thought Chalamet was great as Bob Dylan, you haven’t seen anything yet. This is phenomenal performance in almost every way and one that rivals most of the standout performances that I’ve seen over the course of the past five years.
Moving on to Odessa A’zion as Rachel, I believe that she is the film’s secret weapon. A’zion brings an unexpected layer of depth not only to Marty’s character, but to the film as a whole. She grounds the story when it begins to spiral into total madness. Her emotional beats are beautifully understated yet incredibly impactful. Rachel could have easily been the quirky love interest or moral scapegoat, but A’zion refuses to play her in any predictable way. The script gives Rachel a sense of humor, hints of heartbreak, and a lived-in authenticity that makes every scene that she’s in feel richer. The chemistry between A’zion and Chalamet is electric, and their relationship becomes one of the film’s emotional pillars. You understand who Marty is because of how he treats Rachel, but you also understand Rachel better because of Marty, which is a fascinating element of the story to watch come undone.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Kay Stone pairs beautifully with Chalamet’s Marty. It is immediately clear why Marty is drawn to her and why he wants her woven into his journey. Kay is the only person who seems to see Marty for who he truly is, largely because both of them are living versions of a lie. Through Kay, the film offers pointed commentary on how marriages among the wealthy often function more as displays of status than as genuine partnerships. Paltrow brings this to life with striking authenticity. She treats Marty as a thrill, a brief spark in a life defined by emotional emptiness, and that dynamic adds a fascinating layer to the film.
Which brings me to Kevin O’Leary as Milton Rockwell, who might be my favorite of the supporting characters. Most people know him from Shark Tank, but once you see him here, you will wonder why he hasn’t been acting all along. His performance is electric. The connection he shares with both Kay and Marty is unexpectedly compelling, revealing complexities in each relationship that I didn’t anticipate. O’Leary brings a natural arrogance to the role, the kind that comes from someone who has lived a life fueled by power and limitless resources. His scenes with Chalamet almost play like their own ping pong match as the two volley sharp dialogue and razor-edged wit back and forth. For a character that could have easily been forgettable, I was shocked by how much I wanted him back on screen every time he walked away.
As for the films’s subplots, I completely understand why certain viewers will take issue with how many there are and how absurd some of them become. The film juggles a lot but for me, that was all part of its charm. This is a film that mirrors the messiness of life. It’s chaotic, unpredictable, and sometimes overwhelming, but always in a way that feels true to the world that Marty lives in. The subplots aren’t distractions but rather reflections of how Marty’s world keeps expanding and complicating as he navigates through this particular chapter of his life. I was fully on board and surprisingly eager to see where each story would lead.
The best way to describe Marty Supreme is to call it a roller coaster ride. It is wild, surprising, emotional, hilarious, and completely irresistible. It is the kind of film that leaves you walking out of the theater buzzing. It is the type of experience that makes you want to analyze every moment, every line of dialogue, and every unexpected turn.
It is also a film that invites audiences to want to experience it repeatedly. Not only is it fun and engaging from start to finish, but it feels layered in a way that encourages the viewer to revisit it again and again. There are jokes that will probably land differently the second time around, along with character arcs that will become even more rewarding once you know where the story ultimately goes. It is the rare film that feels like it will get better and better with each watch, offering something new every time you return to it.
Marty Supreme is my favorite film of the year, which is saying something given how stacked this year has been for movies. But this one just hit me in ways that I was not expecting it to. If you want to see a film that reminds you why movies can be so exhilarating, so surprising, and so full of personality, you need to experience Marty Supreme on the big screen with an audience. It is a total rush and a film that will have critics and audiences talking about for months to come.
Grade: 9.5/10
Awards Buzz: I can’t imagine a world where Timothée Chalamet doesn’t win Best Actor for Marty Supreme. Everyone keeps talking about Leonardo DiCaprio, and to be fair, he is excellent in One Battle After Another, but this feels like a career-defining moment for Chalamet. The performance is next level, and the film is hitting theaters at exactly the right time. I can also see Marty Supreme landing in several other categories, including screenplay, director, supporting actress, score, cinematography, and editing. This has the momentum to be A24’s biggest film of the year, and it is the kind of movie that will succeed from both critical acclaim and genuine audience enthusiasm.
