Like One Battle After Another, I was a little wary going into this one, though I admit I didn’t really know what to expect. All I really knew was “Timothée Chalamet plays an asshole table tennis pro”—in some ways, it’s very in line with what I would’ve thought, while other aspects of the film surprised me. And again, as with One Battle After Another, I did enjoy it on the whole, even if some parts of it don’t work for me.
In 1952, table tennis player Marty Mauser sets out to be the first American champion of the sport. As he pours his focus into a major tournament, his own needs are paramount—everybody else comes second. A poor Jewish kid from New York with something to prove, the brash Marty fights tooth and nail to turn his aspirations into reality.
Marty Supreme is nominated for nine Oscars. Included among them are Best Picture, Best Leading Actor, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
First, to demonstrate just how little I’d been following this movie prior to watching it, I didn’t even know it was a period piece. I hadn’t seen the trailer, and I don’t usually watch the precursor award shows ahead of the Oscars, so I hadn’t seen any clips shown before giving out Best Leading Actor awards. All I really knew was a one-line thumbnail description of the movie and a few still images of Chalamet as Marty. As such, there was a lot to the film that I hadn’t anticipated.
Marty is indeed a self-important asshole. While he’s undeniably talented, he steamrolls and dismisses people when it suits him, only to return with his tail between his legs when his attitude comes back to bite him. He’s the “friend” who’s constantly asking for favors without returning them, he doesn’t treat his friend-with-benefits Rachel the way she deserves, and just generally, he operates as if the world revolves around him. He’s incredibly slappable.
That said, there’s something deeper going on here than simply ego—that’s only part of it. Marty knows he has what it takes to be a star, and he’s desperate for his shot to prove it. But in his view, he’s never been given a single break, so he has to maneuver and hustle for everything he has, stepping on other people before they step on him. Much of the runtime is spent, not on table tennis, but on Marty angling to get the money to pay for his trip to Tokyo for the championship tournament. Along the way, he encounters plenty of people who seem to have it so much easier than he does, and he’d do anything to have what they have.
Timothée Chalamet gets the job done as Marty. He annoys the hell out of you, and you feel how he’s bringing a lot of his problems on himself with his rash behavior, but at the same time, his feverish desperation comes through loud and clear. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Kay, a former silent film actress turned trophy wife. Although the way her character is used in the film aggravates me—I get that she’s a faded starlet stuck in a loveless marriage, but Marty’s cocky, smarmy routine should not work on her as well as it does—Paltrow does what she can to sell it. I’m not familiar with Odessa A’zion, who gives a terrific performance as Rachel. She’s probably the one character who’s a match for Marty, even if her bullshitting skills aren’t as polished as his, and it’s great to watch A’zion and Chalamet go toe to toe.
Warnings
Language (including racist and antisemitic slurs,) sexual content, violence, disturbing images, smoking, and thematic elements.
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