Marty Supreme Review: Timothée Chalamet Starrer Intense Sports Drama Exceeds Expectations And How!
Marty Supreme is directed by Josh Safdie. Read our quick review here.
4 / 5
How interesting can a sports drama be? The question repeatedly played in my mind before watching Timothée Chalamet starrer Marty Supreme directed by Josh Safdie. While the pre-buzz and the fact that the star received several honours got my expectations to unrealistic heights, I am happy to report that the film has exceeded them in every way, and more! Marty Supreme also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma and Abel Ferrara in pivotal roles. The film is inspired by the legendary table tennis player Marty Reisman, and this sports drama has more shock value than most thrillers in recent times! Read our review here to understand better.
Plot
Marty Supreme’s story is inspired by the book The Money Player, a memoir on the legendary table tennis player Marty Reisman. Based in 1950s USA, the story follows the journey of Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet), a shoe seller who is an extraordinary tennis player. Marty is not a very likeable character. The man is ambitious, arrogant, manipulative, deeply full of himself, insensitive and overconfident. Marty Mauser is unbothered by the women who he shares physical relationships with, and in the process, also gets involved with an actress (Gwyneth Paltrow) just to fulfill his own selfish needs.
But Marty undergoes a complete 180-degree character arc, and this life journey only gets gripping as the film progresses. Marty Supreme shows the lengths Marty goes to fulfill his dreams of becoming the World’s best table tennis player, the challenges that he faces and gets drowned in but never succumbs to them, the ultimate let go of a ego-driven facade, and the final victory!
My Mind’s Blown: Story
Sports dramas can really become boring, but Marty Supreme is a refreshing addition to this genre. It’s bold, authentic, self-aware and evokes a mix of emotions. The storytelling is so strong that I forgot to blink my eyes! The film starts off by introducing Marty, a shoe seller working solely to earn some money for a trip to London to attend the table tennis championship. But this sports drama is so much more than a straightforward story about ambitions and dedication. It also explores the depths of Marty’s character in absurd and unexpected situations that even stressed me out, but they are equally fascinating. At the core, Marty is a delulu with no solid plans but a strong believer of his talents, and his capabilites of achieving the extraordinary. While dealing with such themse,
The story is such an immersive experience. At one point it feels like a dreamy rom-com whenever Marty shares screen with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Kay Stone. In the next moment, it’s a horrible action thriller where men are randomly shooting each other over a dog. And then we are suddenly pulled back to Marty’s undying dedication to table tennis. Marty Supreme subtly makes commentaries on Jews in the USA, Nazis and World War. The experience of watching Marty Supreme was equal to eating magic pops- it’s chaotic and oddly satisfying!
Camera Work
A lot of the conflicts in the film gained more impact because of its camera work. The choice of presenting intense verbal fight scenes using medium closeup shots are exceptionally effective, or the wide shots of a room full of men playing table tennis during the championship amplifies the tension of the moment, or the zoomed-in-close ups of Marty signaling an internal shift was brilliantly done!
Performances
Give all the awards to Timothée Chalamet because the actor has outdone himself again! I am short of words to describe the actor’s range in the film. Timothée effortlessly pulls off every single shade of Marty Mauser with so much conviction and intensity. He smoothly transitions from being a charming flirty man in his early 20s to a manipulative talker who always finds a way to get what he wants. Timothée Chalamet’s attention to details while portraying the table tennis legend’s attributes is a testament of his dedication to the craft.
But, the supporting cast is equally amazing and praiseworthy. Gwyneth Paltrow as Kay Stone is the perfect as the actress who is search of her identity while being married to a rich self-absorbed businessman Kevin O’Leary, who too is brilliant. Odessa A’zion as Rachel Mizler, the woman who Marty has an affair with delivers an intense performance.
Dialogues
The smart dialogues makes the Josh Safdie film unintentionally funny and the punch lines landed well. Although, it casually threw some really inspiring dialogues too! Like when Marty Supreme is asked if he ever thinks about failure, the guy responds, “It doesn’t even enter my conciousness”.
Also Read: Here’s Why Kris Jenner Is Reportedly Asking Kylie Jenner To Sign Prenup With Beau Timothee Chalamet
Verdict!
Marty Supreme is packaged really well. That is an understatement, in all honesty. The film’s fascinating direction, filled with surprises storytelling and to add to that, the class-apart performances genuinely gave me a good time at the movies. Again, the statement does not justify the experience I had while watching the Josh Safdie film on the big screen. I was shocked, happy, inspired, teary-eyed. I came out of the theatre with a bunch of thoughts. It lingers a little longer! The film is hitting theatres on January 23, 2026. Highly recommend this one.
First Published: January 22, 2026 3:42 PM
