Marty Supreme Review: Timothée Chalamet Achieves Greatness!

Timothée Chalamet wants to be the best at his craft. He does not care if that doesn’t sound modest in a room full of actors who always vie for awards every year at the Golden Globes, The Oscars, etc. Although he is grateful to be nominated, his end goal is to win by dissolving into every role he has to become the character. After playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown last year, Timothée explained how striving to become one of the greats in his lifetime as an actor is his main goal.

Related – “31 Candles” Movie Review: Refreshingly Different!

As a result, it seems timely for Chalamet to step into the role of Marty Mauser, a table tennis champion loosely based on the life of Marty Reisman. Just like him, Marty wants nothing more than to be the best in the world. Where there are obvious similarities between the ambitions of Chalamet and his character Marty in Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie has developed a film that goes way beyond a sports journey by utilizing his usual storytelling techniques to keep his audience on their toes as Marty claws his way to the top.

Marty Mauser feels at the top of his game. He has just won the British Open and has his sights set on winning the London championship against Koto Endo representing Japan. After losing three games in a row, Marty decides to try again at the World Championship, only to learn he has been banned. What results is a Safdie-like wild ride of obstacles that test Marty’s determination and ego against everyone and everything.

Marty Supreme is a fast-paced trip amongst constant back and forth dialogue reminiscent of Aaron Sorkin’s screenwriting. There is a level of anxiety that encapsulates the film that mirrors Safdie’s cinematic style he has delivered in the last couple of years. The film separates itself from sports films where the journey the audience sees Marty take is not from game to game or win to win.

Instead, it feels more like a point A to point B line where Marty has to take every curve, spiral, and jump along the way. From finding out his childhood best friend is pregnant to losing a man’s dog because of his own hustling mishaps, Marty Supreme takes us on a ride we know Safdie to often do.

Much of the film banks on the character of Marty and our connection to him. Both Chalamet’s performance and Ronald Bronstein’s writing of the character lands well, allowing the rest of the film to follow suit. As Chalamet has shown before, he has the ability to capture any character he chooses because of his dedication to the role.

It feels even more fitting for him to play a man with similar ambitions to himself, making Chalamet the perfect choice for Marty Mauser. Marty is played in a way that toes the line between cocky and confident where he knows himself to be better at table tennis than anyone else but may also actually be in reality. This makes it palatable to watch Chalamet’s performance onscreen as someone like Marty because for every cocky remark he spits out it is usually followed by actions that prove the latter. As a result, Marty is every conceited guy we know, the only difference being he might be as good as he says he is.

Where Marty Supreme has its limitations is in its characterizations and execution of its side characters, particularly Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his childhood best friend Rachel (Odessa A’zion). Rachel’s character in the grand scheme of the film seems more of a means to an end than a fleshed out addition to Marty’s story. Kay Stone, a retired actress and interest of Marty’s, feels more lifelike and is given more of a purpose in the film than Rachel, whom the story begins and ends with.

It feels like the importance granted to both of these characters could have been flipped to better match the themes and significance to Marty’s story. Where Marty as the central character is handled on a high level, it would have benefitted the rest of the movie to hold other characters to the same screenwriting standard as Marty himself. Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Tyler Okonma (Tyler, the Creator), Kevin O’Leary is a departure from the Safdie Brothers but is certainly a check in Josh’s box as a solo creator.

‘Marty Supreme’ Rating – 4/5

• Author
• Recent Posts

Stephanie Young

Senior Associate Writer at Just for Movie Freaks

Stephanie is a huge film fanatic, a librarian, and a baker! And when she isn't busy doing these activities, she is running around with her Australian Cattle Dog!

Latest posts by Stephanie Young (see all)

• Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die Review: An Electric Sci-Fi Comedy! - February 20, 2026
• Wuthering Heights (2026) Review: An Underwhelming Spectacle! - February 19, 2026
• 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review – A Solid Sequel! - January 21, 2026