Marty Supreme: A Manic, Table-Tennis Masterpiece

By Jean-Manuel Granda and Noah Santiago.

Timothée Chalamet in the movie “Marty Supreme.” (A24/TNS)

With fans flocking to theaters this holiday season, they weren’t going to see Home Alone or Elf, but rather a spectacle about a plastic ball. 

Preview

Josh Safdie’s highly anticipated film Marty Supreme starring Timothée Chalamet proved to be a huge success for indie studio A24. After news of the Safdie brothers splitting up, who arose in fame after the release of Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler, one question arose - which brother was the Safdie? Both brothers - Benny and Josh - each came out with their first solo projects in 2025. While Benny’s film The Smashing Machine proved to be a moderate success critically but a box office bomb, Josh’s Marty Supreme is already a top contender for best picture at this year’s Oscars. 

Marketing

With Timothée teasing the movie on his Instagram, releasing a video of him wearing a ping-pong helmet and a bunch of ping pong balls everywhere. From collaborating with Esdeekid on a song to a fake Zoom call internal marketing meeting being released, no movie has ever marketed how Marty Supreme has, and we believe it is the most unique and memorable campaign of the last several years.

The biggest aspect of this campaign was the collaboration with clothing brand Nahmias, releasing the trending Marty Supreme jacket. Celebrities left and right were wearing this jacket such as Tom Brady, Frank Ocean, and even legends like Ringo Starr and Bill Nye the Science Guy. These jackets created this ominous aura behind the movie and made people ask: What exactly is Marty Supreme? And in what was probably the most extreme stunt of them all, Timothée stood up on top of the Las Vegas Sphere as it transformed into a giant ping pong ball. All of this massively built up the hype for this movie. We truly believe that it was the thoughtful and provoking marketing that got people in the theaters even on Christmas.

The Review

We thought that this film was a two and a half hour panic attack, but a good one that got your heart racing. It got us to think: what is Marty going to do next? The film primarily focuses on Marty Mauser who is an aspiring professional ping pong player in a post World War II New York in the 50s. He goes to great lengths to achieve greatness no matter the cost. 

Production Design

The production design of this film was top-notch. Films that usually take place in the mid 1900’s feel too new and artificial. Films like Oppenheimer or even Sinners do a great job of capturing the time period perfectly, but everything seems to be too clean. Marty Supreme feels lived in and actually visualizes a city that has its own stories. You can notice the dirtiness of the walls or the trash on the streets, and that is what completes the general vibe of the movie.

Cinematography

Marty Supreme was shot on film, which is preferred by many auteur directors. It gives the film a distinct feel, which helps it fit into the time period in which it takes place. The film uses close-ups sparingly but effectively, adding tension when needed. The anamorphic lenses add to this effect with their clever use of wide shots when introducing characters. Darius Khondji also knew what he was doing when framing his shots, as nothing looked out of place and everything in the set served a purpose.

Music

The music is one of the most underrated elements of the film. Daniel Lopatin’s score adds tension to scenes and heightens emotional beats. The electronic vibe contrasts the 1950s setting, which gives it a sense of youth and vibrancy - similar to Marty’s character. The 80s soundtrack adds to this as it gives it this sort of lively tone. 

Acting

Timothée Chalamet gives arguably the best performance of the entire year. As a viewer, Chalamet presents Marty in such a way that you hate to love him. Through his smart remarks and arrogant attitude, he depicts one of the most polarizing protagonists in recent times. 

We think the biggest takeaway regarding acting was the entire cast. It was such a diverse, yet such well-woven cast that fit perfectly into their characters and did not feel forced just for the sake of having big names included in it.

The prime example demonstrating the unconventional, but amazing methods they went on to assemble their cast was the casting of Luke Manley, who plays Marty’s friend and business partner Dion, whom Safdie found on an online video after a Knicks game, being interviewed. This truly shows what we regard as taking it to the next level of attention to detail and making sure the story is portrayed exactly as imagined.

To start, Kevin O’Leary, multimillionaire and star of Shark Tank was cast as Milton Rockwell. O’Leary couldn’t have portrayed a better antagonist, and with no prior acting experience, he did an outstanding job. He was so soulless and empty, yet so ruthless. His presence on the screen was nothing but intimidating and heavy, with him dominating every scene he was in.

Gwenyth Paltrow’s role as Kay Stone was nothing but extraordinary in this film. Her story as a washed-out actor adds to the message of human drive in the movie, as through her support of Marty, she makes it so apparent that she is looking for that drive again to stardom, and the way she displayed her internal emotions in such a composed manner that what we are presented with is an emotional unraveling of internal conflict. Her portrayal is very impressive and is so complex for a supporting role.

With what we consider to be the most intelligent and witty character of the film, Odessa A’zion’s role of Rachel was the backbone of this movie. Her desire to survive and be with Marty, especially after it is revealed that it is his child, really gives a perfect foil for a more meaningful journey, rather than ping-pong. Her assertive presence really made this her breakout role and shows the depths to which she can act.

Not to mention, Tyler Okonma, also known as Tyler, The Creator’s role as Wally was perfect casting because his natural charisma and humor lightened up the seriousness of the film, and he had great on-screen chemistry with Timothée Chalamet. In addition, the castings of other characters like Koto Endo played by Koto Kawaguchi and Alojzy Ehrlich played by Géza Röhrig really shows the range of this cast and the emphasis of not going mainstream Hollywood but instead casting actors that fit perfectly in these characters’ molds. 

Plot

SPOILERS AHEAD

This was such a unique take on the sports genre. At the start, it looks like it is shaping up to be a normal sports movie with an albeit, a rather less mainstream sport. But then it subverts expectations and turns into an anxiety-inducing nightmare. The film has a sense of carefully crafted chaos, which is typical of the Safdie brothers and it's no different here.

We follow Marty Mauser in his pursuit of greatness. The film draws a thin line between aspiration and obsession at the same time as Marty goes through lots of ups and downs on his way to stardom. Marty is not your typical protagonist. He is immature, very self-centered and does not think of how his actions affect others. This is apparent in the movie as nearly everything he does has an immediate consequence. His ego comes back to bite him more than once.

This isn’t your typical beginning-middle-end story either. The film feels like a lot of things are happening at once and you can not possibly expect what will happen next. The story features lots of different subplots aside from the central arc that all have effects on Marty’s character.

After a loss at a tournament in London, Marty starts to spiral, and everything seems to be falling apart. His erratic behavior caused him to receive a $1500 fine that he needs to pay off in order to participate in the world championship in Tokyo and to get back at his rival, a deaf player named Koto Endo.

We follow him on his odyssey throughout New York City to get the money and the people he encounters along the way. When he finally makes his way to Tokyo, he learns that he has been banned from the tournament, but he still gets to play his rival Endo at a promotional event. After a hard-fought match, he eventually wins. This climax is not what viewers expect, as he doesn’t get the traditional happy ending but instead he rushes back home in order to be a father to his newborn baby.

Marty Supreme shows the true nature of a dream. It is not something that is objectively solved, but rather something that is spiritually fulfilling. This ending of him crying while looking at his son has been the most divisive part of the movie, but it completes a full circle of Marty’s character. It's the first time in the movie where Marty finally puts someone ahead of himself. He realizes that true victory is not about fame but something more important - purpose. He becomes overwhelmed with emotion as he goes through a moment of humbleness and self-discovery. This is a perfect quiet ending to a wild, chaotic movie. 

The Final Rating

Jean’s Rating- 4.6/5

Noah’s Rating - 5/5