Marty Supreme
The brief
Josh Safdie ditches the manic energy of Uncut Gems for something slower and more deliberate, letting Chalamet's obsessive ping-pong dreamer marinate in 1950s New York's grimy underbelly. The film moves like a fever dream, all neon-lit basement tournaments and sweaty close-ups of paddle grips, with Chalamet delivering his most physically committed performance yet as a guy whose single-minded pursuit borders on self-destruction. At two and a half hours, it's deliberately punishing in the best way, forcing you to live inside Marty's tunnel vision until you're as exhausted as he is. Perfect for anyone who loved the suffocating intensity of Good Time or wants to see what happens when sports movie clichés get fed through a Safdie brothers meat grinder.
The verdict
If you crave intense character studies and can handle deliberately paced obsession spirals, this is Safdie's most hypnotic work yet with Chalamet delivering his most physically demanding performance. If you need constant plot momentum or get restless during long character-driven pieces, the punishing 150-minute runtime will test your patience.
Watch with
- 👤 Solo viewing for maximum immersion
- 👥 Sports movie fans seeking something darker
- ⚠️ Those expecting typical sports triumph
Heads up
- Self-destructive behavior and obsession (frequent)
- Intense psychological pressure (moderate)
- Underground gambling/tournament violence (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Josh Safdie
- Cast
- Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, Tyler, The Creator
Official synopsis
In 1950s New York, table tennis player Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to Hell
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Both follow obsessed protagonists descending into psychological hell pursuing impossible dreams.
Total runtime: 2h 30m + 1h 29m = 3h 59m
