Like hitting a ball back and forth in rapid succession, “ping-pong” can also describe the rapid exchange of ideas delivered at a frantic pace in Josh Safdie’s gritty drama “Marty Supreme,” which is loosely inspired by the life of New York hustler and table tennis player Martin Reisman, played by Timothée Chalamet in a career-best performance. The sport, however, is just the background for an often-seedy story about life filled with diverse characters, including a Hollywood starlet (Gwyneth Paltrow), a dog-loving gangster (Abel Ferrara), and an ink-pen tycoon (Kevin O’Leary) who should have been a gym teacher. There’s a bit of Tarkovsky and Scorsese here, but like “Uncut Gems” and “Good Times,” this is pure Safdie terrain.
In 2008, Josh Safdie released his first solo project, “The Pleasure of Being Robbed,” without his filmmaker brother, Benny. In a way, the film’s title could serve as the subtitle for “Marty Supreme,” considering the amount of thieving involved in the story, which starts in 1952 at a shoe store in New York City.
Tears for Fears’ “Change” sets the story in motion as Marty Mauser (Chalamet) emerges out of the stockroom, his walk in sync with the band’s 1983 song from “The Hurting” LP. The duo, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, frame Safdie’s film by ending with their biggest hit, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Future needle drops include “Forever Young” by Alphaville, New Order’s “The Perfect Kiss,” PIL’s “The Order of Death,” “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” by The Korgis, and Peter Gabriel’s “I Have the Touch.”
The film’s 1950s timeline features standards from the era by Perry Como, Fats Domino, and Big Bertha Henderson with the Al Smith Orchestra, among others. But it’s the 80s soundtrack, reinforced by Daniel Lopatin’s synth-heavy score (right up there with NIN’s “Tron” score), that makes “Marty” stand out. It doesn’t feel out of place, and it’s the perfect complement to Chalamet’s character, who, despite his appearance, doesn’t quite fit the decade’s soundscape of smooth and warm love songs mixed with the evolving blues, country, and rock scenes. Marty Mauser’s progressive attitude captures the angst-driven, futuristic vibe of 80s New Wave and Post-Punk, filled with themes of emotional turmoil, alienation, and societal pressure.
Marty is an ace athlete who hasn’t found a way to profit from being a professional table tennis player, hence the shoe salesman job at the store owned by his uncle Murray (the wonderful Larry “Ratso” Sloman). Murray wants to put his nephew into management, explaining that he can no longer financially support Marty’s mother (Fran Drescher), whose downstairs neighbor and best friend, Judy, is played by Sandra Bernhard. The film also features cameos by Penn Jillette, Isaac Mizrahi, Fred Hechinger, and Kemba Walker. It is a contender for the first-ever Achievement in Casting Oscar, which will be presented at the 98th Academy Awards.
Murray may need to rethink moving Marty into management, especially since he just robbed his uncle’s shop at gunpoint, demanding the $700 promised to him. He needs the money for a trip where he plans to beat defending table tennis champion Bela Kletzki (Géza Röhrig), an Auschwitz survivor, at the British Open, securing prize money ten times the amount he’s “borrowing” from Uncle Murray. Röhrig, best known for his starring role in the Oscar-winning “Son of Saul” in 2015, is one of my favorite things about Safdie’s film. It’s a terrific performance filled with empathy and depth that balances the film’s chaotic pace.
There are two loves in Marty’s life. Both are married. Odessa A’zion plays Rachel, a childhood friend of Marty, which explains her similar “hustler-mode.” The two make a great couple, like Bonnie & Clyde. A’zion should receive a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her vulnerable yet gritty performance. Marty’s other love—and financial benefactor—is retired actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is married to ink-pen tycoon Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank”), another billionaire with an inflated ego who treats women poorly… you get it. It’s good to see Paltrow outside the MCU, showcasing some solid acting.
The table tennis matches are intense. Chalamet trained for over six years after Safdie approached him about the project in 2018. Marty’s main competitor is Japan’s table tennis champion, Koto Endo, whose unique sponge paddle and penhold grip confuses his opponents. Endo lost his hearing during the 1945 bombing of Tokyo by the U.S., which helped him develop exceptional focus and concentration. The role played by real-life table tennis champion Koto Kawaguchi, who is also deaf, marks the athlete’s acting debut. The scenes between Kawaguchi and Chalamet are thrilling to watch, thanks to extensive training, expert choreography, and some CGI magic (like the ping-pong ball), but the moves are 100% legit.
Influences for Safdie’s sophomore directorial effort include the underdog theme of “Rocky,” the hustler aspects of “The Color of Money,” and, in several ways, Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 science fiction masterpiece “Stalker,” in that both films share a distinct heightened visual style while driven by a plot centered on a longing for greatness while dealing with the mundane.
The Safdie Brothers are known for their raw and gritty portrayals of life, as seen in “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time.” The frantic pace and tension of those films carry over into “Marty Supreme,” especially in the violent and unsettling subplot featuring filmmaker Abel Ferrara, who directed “King of New York” and “Bad Lieutenant,” as a gangster who loves dogs. His henchman, Mitch, is played by Mitchell Wenig, one of the brothers (Larry) featured in “Uncut Gems.”
I also want to highlight the cinematography by Darius Khondji, who used dirty lenses and distinct colors to give the film a retro style while capturing the actors’ raw emotions with close-ups and telephoto lenses, and employing Cinemascope and multiple cameras for the ping-pong scenes. Additionally, it’s great to see Khondji and Paltrow collaborate without a box. The two previously worked together on David Fincher’s 1995 film “Se7en,” which featured a visual style similar to “Marty Supreme.”
No doubt, “Marty Supreme” is one of the best films of 2025. Over the years, Timothée Chalamet has delivered some incredible performances, from “Dune” to playing Bob Dylan in last year’s “A Complete Unknown,” which, at the time, I considered a career-high. Not anymore. What a difference a year makes. By the way, Safdie concludes this wild, funny, frightening, and emotional story with a scene that answers the mysterious question, “What’s life all about?” Hint: There’s a lot of crying.
(4 stars)
Now showing in theaters
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