Coming out to the theatres on the opening day of “Marty Supreme” (which was Christmas), I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t seen most of the promotional material, and I hadn’t seen any of the Safdie Brothers films. But I don’t know anything that could have set an expectation high enough for how fun the emotional rollercoaster “Marty Supreme” took me on would be. The viewer’s perception of Timothée Chalamet’s character changes in addition to the view of the tone, plot and even the genre of the movie itself many times throughout the film.
The film follows the native New Yorker Marty Mauser as he loses the money he needs to get to a world ping pong tournament, and feels he has very little time to achieve what he thinks is his true purpose in life. The movie is both exhausting and exhilarating as Marty tries and fails and sometimes marginally succeeds to find the money he needs to travel. Meanwhile everyone tends to be against him, whether it be a dog loving mobster, or a shark-like business man. But what sets this film apart from others is the lead character himself, who would not be nearly as compelling if it wasn’t for the charismatic and committed performance from Chalamet who feels like he was born for the role.
Besides the main plot of Marty trying to find a way to Japan, the film also showcases a variety of interesting side plots from love interests and their own separate storylines to the different characters Marty meets and tries to leech off of along the way.
Other students in the Fieldston community similarly seemed to find the film compelling.
One student who enjoyed the film commented on Chalamet’s performance saying, “The only other thing I’ve seen of his is the Willy Wonka movie.” She added, “Based off the performance in this movie I think he’s probably a good actor. I feel like he really committed to the part.”
Another big fan of the movie, Zachary Nosenchuck (Form III), mentioned that he had seen Josh Safdie’s other productions like Uncut Gems and thought that “Marty Supreme” was a, “better version.” Additionally, he stated that despite the movie’s long runtime, it used the time very effectively and was “action packed.”
For me, though, what made this film my personal favorite of the year was that in addition to its exciting narrative and just general direction, the core of Marty Mauser and the performance of Chalamet helped elevate this movie to greatness. At the start of the movie, Marty is a narcissistic showboat who gets by on his sheer confidence even if others are weighing him down. But as the film progresses, the viewer can see that his lack of caring for others catches up with him and he is forced to grow. What I loved most about the film is that it takes two great aspects, its story and the growth of its main character, and combines them in the ending that somehow sticks the landing on what seemed like an impossible mission in writing.
This movie really excels at capturing the drive many young people have and the feeling that they need to accomplish something. Marty Mauser serves as one of the best examples of the pros and cons of that. Once again, I don’t think this feeling would have been captured as well as it is if it wasn’t for the exceptional performance of Chalamet, who himself embodies this through his promotion of the film and claiming that he wants to be “one of the greats.”
Despite this arguably being the film’s main talking point, Marty Supreme still has a lot to say about the American experience and the view of America on the world stage, post WW2. Throughout the runtime, the viewer is shown how Americans often treat both American and non-American Jews such as Marty. The film is subtle in how it shows how his faith and background impact him whether it is the working class Lower East side of the 50s or offhand digs at a hotel dining room.
Additionally, different characters he meets on his journey to Japan represent what he aims to reach such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s character who is the personification of the wealthy, Waspy, elite that he is closed off from as a New York Jew. Finally, the film spotlights Japan’s relationship with America, or at least with American businessmen as characters like Kevin O’ Leary showcase how quickly Americans forget what happened less than a decade before if it means they can make profit.
All in all, “Marty Supreme” is my personal favorite film of the year, even compared to other heavy hitters like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.” It feels unique both to its lead and director, with a performance that would not have been possible by any other actor in Hollywood and a cinematography, pacing, plot and character writing that all come together at the end to form a feeling that stays with the viewer long after the first viewing.
