The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writer and do not reflect the views of University School of Nashville or the Peabody Press. This review contains spoilers.
December 25 is usually filled with presents and defined by red and green. In 2025, it was all ping-pong paddles and corroded orange.
Directed by Josh Safdie and starring Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” had its US theatrical release on Christmas Day.
Loosely based on the life of American table tennis player Marty Reisman, “Marty Supreme” follows the tumultuous journey of Marty Mauser as he attempts to become a world champion.
Mauser is a shoe salesman in 1950s New York, working to save money for his true passion: ping-pong. To further fund his ambitions, he engages in reckless, chaotic, and often immoral acts, including but not limited to: hustling at a bowling alley’s ping-pong table, holding a mafia boss’s dog for ransom, and endless manipulation and coercion.
Mauser intends to use the money to attend the World Championship in Japan and pay a fine he owes to the International Table Tennis Association. However, upon arriving in Japan, he is informed that it is too late to join the tournament.
In a last-ditch effort to take back his pride, he faces his Japanese rival, Koto Endo, in an exhibition match. Mauser narrowly defeats Endo, and the film concludes with him returning to the United States to meet his newborn son.
Going into the movie, I expected it to echo the classic underdog American sports movies like “Rocky” (1976) or “Miracle” (2004). However, “Marty Supreme” was much more similar to Safdie’s previous directorial works, “Uncut Gems” (2019) and “Good Time” (2017), both of which he co-directed with his brother Benny Safdie.
While “Uncut Gems,” following a high-end New York City jeweler played by Adam Sandler, and “Good Time,” a crime thriller starring Robert Pattinson, have very different subject matters than “Marty Supreme,” the through-line that connects these films is the constant adrenaline and stress they induce in the viewer.
“Uncut Gems” received critical acclaim with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes; however, I was not the biggest fan, which made me skeptical going into “Marty Supreme.”
I felt that the enjoyment of “Uncut Gems” relied almost entirely on viewers’ previously held reverence for Adam Sandler, which I simply do not share. This, compounded by the fact that Sandler’s character is a horrible person who does horrible things, made it really difficult for me to connect emotionally with the film.
Ronald Bronstein, Anthony Katagas, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler The Creator, Josh Safdie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Eli Bush
Marty Supreme LA Special Screening & Reception, Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Los Ange, Beverly Hills, California, United States – 08 Dec 2025 (Jojo Korsh/BFA.com/Shutterstock)
In “Marty Supreme,” Safdie is guilty of using a similar trick, relying on widespread love for Timothée Chalamet to have the viewer enter the movie with an immediate emotional connection to Mauser.
I think this trick works better in “Marty Supreme” than in “Uncut Gems” because of the difference in innocence between Chalamet playing a 23-year-old part-time shoe salesman and Sandler’s middle-aged, neglectful, unfaithful gambling addict.
“Marty Supreme” builds up this innocence and emotional connection, only to tear them down in an intense fashion, which I found compelling.
Casting actors who already embody the traits of their characters is a trick Safdie and casting director Jennifer Venditti, who also worked on “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time,” use frequently and effectively in this movie.
“Shark Tank” personality Kevin O’Leary, or “Mr. Wonderful,” makes his acting debut as billionaire tycoon Milton Rockwell. O’Leary essentially plays himself, or the exaggerated version of himself viewers have been watching for years on “Shark Tank.”
Gwyneth Paltrow returns to a major acting role, playing Kay Stone, an aging movie star who has been out of work. In the film, Stone makes her return to acting in a theatrical production, mirroring Paltrow’s journey as a Hollywood star.
Additionally, New York City native Luke Manley makes his acting debut as Dion Galanis, Mauser’s childhood best friend. Manley was discovered by Safdie after a clip of him from “Sidetalk”, a New York-based man-on-the-street interview Instagram show, went viral around three years ago.
Other unorthodox castings include Tyler, The Creator as Mauser’s friend Wally, and NBA legend George Gervin as the owner of a ping-pong club. Ted Williams, who went viral 15 years ago as a homeless man with an incredible radio announcer voice, also makes an unexpected cameo.
The creative cast was definitely a strong suit, and I suspect other directors will try some more unconventional castings in the future.
Also, I think Safdie deserves his flowers for the movie’s tremendous pacing. I think the art of a 90-minute emotional roller coaster has been lost in the last 20 years; however, despite the film’s 150-minute runtime, the relentless, frantic pacing walked the line between exhilarating and overwhelming in an amazing way.
In a figurative sense, I was on the edge of my seat, but more literally, I was cowering in my seat with my jacket blocking the lower part of my face for the duration of the film.
Despite its many strengths, “Marty Supreme” is not without its weaknesses.
First, I’m a little concerned that Safdie has cemented himself as a sort of one-trick pony. All of his movies focus on similar themes, emotions, and plotlines, just written in a different font.
While this isn’t always a negative thing, when your movies rely so heavily on the unexpected, viewers will begin to expect it, which kills all suspense.
Second, this movie is ripe to be appropriated by the alt-right redpill community. Similar to what we saw with “American Psycho” (2000) and “Whiplash” (2014), I have already noticed a large number of typically young men idolizing Mauser.
While the message I got from the movie was that personal relationships matter far more than wealth or fame, it seems many people walked away with the impression that the film promoted extreme selfishness and the pursuit of goals at any cost.
It’s not exactly Safdie’s fault that the movie’s meaning went over so many people’s heads; however, I think, especially in today’s world, directors have a sort of duty to ensure that no one walks away with a negative message.
However, I’m willing to acknowledge that my complaints about the film are mostly trivial. It was a fantastic film that generated unprecedented hype, especially given its R rating.
On Thursday, January 22, “Marty Supreme” received nine Oscar nominations, including Best Director (Safdie), Best Actor (Chalamet) and Best Original Screenplay.
