“Marty Supreme” landed in theaters on Christmas Day. After more than three weeks, it has been nominated for nine awards during the Oscars.
Most notably, Timothée Chalamet is speculated to win and has been nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film itself helps elevate this lead performance through its intense direction and witty writing. A compelling story of ambition, dreams of greatness and the consequences that follow in the pursuit of that dream.
Inspired loosely by a real-life table tennis player, Marty Reisman, “Marty Supreme” tells the story of Marty Mauser — played by Chalamet — as he races his way to become the number one table tennis player in the world. Starting as a shoe salesman for his uncle in New York, Mauser desires to escape from his ordinary day-to-day life and yearns to be involved in international table tennis. What follows is a series of self-destructive events brought on by the character’s ambition, ego and need to succeed.
The story moves at a breakneck pace, leaving little room for the audience to breathe. Combined with the electrifying score and sharp, claustrophobic cinematography, the film grabs a hold of your attention and never lets go.
The filmmaking is nothing but captivating, and it leads to one of the most intense and exhilarating experiences in recent cinema. On top of the technical features, the film keeps this heightened tension throughout because of the astounding performances of the cast.
The film has one of the most unique and unorthodox casts I have seen in modern filmmaking. Besides the lead actors like Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Odessa A’zion, the film also stars musician Tyler the Creator and former “Shark Tank” host Kevin O’Leary in their first acting roles. O’Leary’s strong business background led to him being a strategic pick to play a multi-millionaire businessman.
But by far the standout in this stacked cast is Chalamet as Marty Mauser. For the past few years, Chalamet has been in the public eye for portraying Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” and his role as Paul Atreides in part one and two of “Dune.” This performance is not only one of his best so far, but the defining performance of his career.
In the past, he has been nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in “The Complete Unknown” and “Call Me By Your Name.” Winning the award essentially means a new stage in Chalamet’s career, putting him one step closer to the top. The discussion has been heavily focused on whether he’ll win Best Actor in a Leading Role this year after his nomination, as it could be a significant boost to his career. With him already winning Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes, the chances of him being nominated and winning are high.
I relate this to Chalamet because, like Mauser wanting to become the greatest table tennis player, he, too, is motivated to be one of the greatest actors of all time. He, of course, has not gone to destructive lengths that Mauser has in this movie, but the ambition and motivation is there.
Marty Mauser, as a character, is egotistical, overly ambitious and naive to the consequences of his own actions. But his initial motivation comes from a relatable place; he feels stuck in the life he was born into. As though he owes it to his community as a Jewish man to become the best table tennis player in the world. As though he was born to do this. All to relate the audience to this character; yet what he does after to achieve his dream is toxic and self-destructive.
Overall, the themes of ambition and wanting to be great clearly resonated with Timothée Chalamet, and it resonated with me. Ultimately, this foundational motivation for the character of Marty Mauser makes him more likable, and it’s easier to understand where he’s coming from when he does the insane things that he does in the movie.
“Marty Supreme” is not just a thrill ride but something deeper. It is a must-see film that speaks about the human condition as we strive for greatness, ultimately showing the true downside to ambition.
Braeden Raley can be reached at [email protected]
