“Marty Supreme” is a 2025 American sports comedy-drama directed by Josh Safdie, co-written with Ronald Bronstein.
Set in the 1950s and loosely inspired by the life of American table tennis maverick Marty Reisman, the film stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role, supported by Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher.
From its very first moments, the film announces its intent: this is Chalamet’s movie, and it needs him. He propels the narrative with relentless energy, charisma, and an almost manic commitment that never lets the momentum dip. The adrenaline he brings isn’t just performance; it becomes the film’s pulse. I was glued to the screen the entire time, completely locked in by how alive every scene felt.
“Marty Supreme” is a rare sports drama that feels chaotic, honest, and electric.
What even more amplifies the film’s momentum is how every character brings their own distinct force to the screen, making the world of “Marty Supreme” feel lived-in, volatile, and real. I was especially struck by Koto Kawaguchi’s Endo.
Where Marty is pure, testosterone-fueled chaos who’s always moving and fueled, Endo operates in quiet contrast. Calm, measured, and deeply calculated, he commands authority not through volume, but restraint. He speaks less, or maybe at all, but still managed to make his presence quietly dominant and incredibly effective.
There’s a confidence here that’s hard to fake. The story unfolds with dramatic honesty, the score amplifies the emotional highs without ever feeling manipulative, and the script is razor-sharp, purposeful, and bursting with character. Safdie’s direction elevates it all, pushing the material to its limits while keeping it grounded in human vulnerability and obsession.
And yes, it feels like one of those performances. The kind where we rethink what the actor has done in his life and think how this one is him outdoing everything that he’s ever done before. There’s nothing stopping Chalamet from getting that Oscar!
“Marty Supreme” has set an exceptionally high bar for theatrical experiences this year. More than that, it reminded me, perhaps for the first time in a while, why the Oscars can still feel exciting. If this is the standard we’re working with, cinema has a lot to look forward to.
