Marty Supreme has finally arrived in theaters after one of the most viral marketing campaigns we have seen in a long time. Whether that be designer jackets, the unique press tour, or even a rap song, Marty Supreme has been everywhere. When Timothee Chalamet went on tour last year to promote A Complete Unknown, people were infatuated with how amazing it was. Now, he entered another level of stardom in an era where people say that movie stars don’t exist anymore. The persona he has taken on this tour bleeds perfectly into his performance. It’s this unrelenting performance and beautiful craftsmanship that make the film a knockout way to end the year.
With that new level of stardom, Chalamet went all out for this film, and so far, it is paying off with a $28.92 million opening weekend, making it the best opening for an A24 movie. Showing that he is one of the very few actors who can open a movie on their name alone.
Luckily, Marty Supreme is one of the year’s best films, with a powerhouse performance at the center by Chalamet. The film follows Marty Mauser, a shoe salesman in 1950s New York, as he pursues his dream of becoming the world’s best Ping-Pong player. While he pursues this dream, his actions and choices cause widespread destruction. Whether that be scams, stealing, and hustling nearly everyone he meets, it is all in the pursuit of greatness in his eyes. He is insufferable and rude, and he makes decisions without considering how they will affect other people in his life.
The complexities of a character like this will always have different reads from people. It doesn’t condone Marty’s behavior, but it paints a portrait of how a person can become like this. His insecurities about always trying to be the best and the most important person in the room are more of a detriment than a highlight. It’s not highlighting who you must be to achieve your dreams; it shows what not to do. Marty has a natural appeal that makes you occasionally want to support him, which highlights just how skillfully the complexities are written, and Chalamet brought real charm to the character, bringing him to life.
Chalamet deserves his flowers. He is the heart and soul of Marty Supreme, nearly in every single scene. His performance in this film is so remarkably fast that it feels as if you’re witnessing LeBron James in Game Seven, motivating and uplifting his teammates through sheer excellence. It is his career-best performance, something he has been building toward.
Similar to how Paul Thomas Anderson chose real people to portray characters, Director Josh Safdie did the same thing. Kevin O’Leary plays an evil businessman, Gwyneth Paltrow plays an aging actress, and Abel Ferrara plays a gritty New York gangster. The smart, calculated casting only enhances the story’s realism.
Odessa A’zion, who is currently experiencing significant recognition in the industry, brings a strong supporting performance. She goes toe-to-toe with Chalamet, playing his sort of girlfriend who has a lot in common with Marty. She is a mini hustler herself and causes more problems for Chalamet than he already has. She is my favorite supporting performance, followed closely by O’Leary.
The technical craft of this movie is wonderful, specifically the score. An electronic 80s style that elevates every scene it enters. I have consistently found Ronald Bronstein and Safdie’s editing style to be effective, bringing in strong kinetic energy that moved as fast as Marty. Cinematographer Darius Khondji, who is having a great year between this, Eddington, and Mickey 17, shoots the Ping Pong matches with such electricity.
As a 23-year-old man, watching a 23-year-old man trying to achieve greatness, Marty Supreme was cathartic. Not that I hold Marty in high regard, but the movie is a sober reminder that what maybe I, or Marty, hold in high regard is tiny in comparison to what truly matters in the real world. It shows what priorities you should truly pursue. It doesn’t deny that you shouldn’t have dreams, but realistic ones, and that at some point you need to grow up.
The ending of this film is what drove that home to me the most, as he is presented with a life-altering change. As someone in this exact stage of life, it is nice to be reminded that life has a lot left in store for me, and the things I think are important may still be important to me in the future, but not the focal point. As I continue to grow and evolve, new experiences and perspectives will shape what I value, reminding me that life is a continuous process of change.
After months of anticipation, Marty Supreme’s constant marketing ploys, secret festival screenings, and podcast runs have come to fruition. It is a union of Safdie’s previous films; it feels like the best version of the type of films he likes to make. With a towering Chalamet performance as he runs a sprint the entire time of this marathon of a film, Marty Supreme sheds light on the disastrous consequences of your pursuit of perfection. It poses the questions you sometimes ask yourself in the pursuit of your goals, but it is cool to see a person of this magnitude deal with the fallout of those questions. We sometimes wonder whether we would go along with the chaos and what would happen if we did. This film is, by all accounts, a mirror of that question. You just have to accept the ride it takes you on, and once you settle in, it is a satisfying resolution.
Review Courtesy of Jacob Diedenhofer
Feature Image Credit to A24