Marty Supreme: The Film That Did What Every Sports Film Couldn’t
Photo via IMDb.
In Timothee Chalamet’s quest to become “One of the Greats,” he assumes the role of 23 year-old Marty Mauser, New York’s very own ping pong legend and hustler.
The film follows the journey of Marty Mauser, an incredibly talented table tennis player. His skill as a player however, is not quite enough to be a champion. As a young, broke, East Side Jewish kid, Marty can’t afford to make it to the world championships. So he does what he knows best: he hustles.
The nail-biting, yet bizarre, take on a sports movie is what makes this film so unique. It shows an audience a new type of character, in circumstances that aren't often brought to the big screen. Chalamet’s performance is one of his best ones yet, pushing the bounds of what we’ve seen from him as an actor.
What makes this film especially unique was the advertising and hype around it. With Chalamet sporting Marty Supreme jackets before the release, standing atop Las Vegas’s ping pong ball colored sphere, Chalamet, as well as the rest of the cast, did everything in their power to induce hype and a sense of mystery around the film. All of this was well warranted for the amazing and revolutionary film that was Marty Supreme.
Not only did the film utilize unique advertising techniques, but it showed the world the power of a good cast. Not only did Timothee Chalamet give an amazing performance, but we also saw stellar performances from the likes of Tyler, The Creator, who took the role of Marty’s friend Wally and Gwenyth Paltrow, Marty’s love interest, Kay Stone. Along with them, we saw more niche actors on the big screen such as Odessa A’Zion, playing the mother of Marty’s child, Rachel Mizler. Kevin O’Leary gave a jaw-dropping performance for the character Milton Rockwell, who in a way could’ve been seen as the antagonist. Out of all the actors (besides Chalamet) It was O’Leary who gave the most thrilling and engaging performance.
From a hyper-engaging plotline to nail-biting face offs, Marty Supreme hits all the aspects that a “sports” film needs to be considered one of the greats. Though it is an atypical sports film in this regard, it's exactly that bizarreness that makes it so thrilling.
From pushing Chalamet’s career forward, to the culture around the film and having a “Marty mindset,” to an unorthodox yet amazing cast, Marty Supreme is an amazing film. If you or a friend has been thinking about seeing this movie, do it. There has yet to be a film released this year or last that could top the weird “sports” movie that is Marty Supreme.
