I don’t think there’s a young actor working today that I admire more than Timothée Chalamet. From Beautiful Boy and Call Me by Your Name to the Dune films and A Complete Unknown (which somehow feels like it came out last week), his performances are never repetitive and feel totally unique. His latest role, in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, continues that streak.
Set in 1950s New York City, Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a fast-talking table tennis player whose goal is to win a major championship, making him wealthy and famous. Which of those he wants most is never entirely clear.
When we first meet Marty, he’s working as a salesman in a women’s shoe store. He despises the job, but he’s surprisingly good at it, charming customers and angering his co-workers. The job is just a means to an end because he needs to raise enough money to fly to Japan, where the world’s most prestigious table tennis tournament is being held. When the money falls through, Marty does what he always does… improvises. After threatening the store owner’s son, he secures the cash and heads overseas.
Once there, we see that his showmanship (and anger) is bigger than his talent. Even though he’s lost, he does win at something, seducing the wife of a wealthy businessman. Marty is immediately drawn to Kay (Gwyneth Paltrow), an actress who has everything he wants, fame and money.
If you’ve seen the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems, Marty Supreme feels like it could be its prequel. Marty could easily be the father of Howard Ratner, Adam Sandler’s character, another guy constantly hustling, exaggerating his importance, and convincing himself he’s always one step ahead. As Marty digs himself deeper into holes of his own making, anxiety starts to take hold, both for Marty and the audience.
Early on, we’re introduced to Rachel (an excellent Odessa A’zion), a married woman Marty is having an affair with back in New York. When she becomes pregnant, Marty disappears without a second thought. At first, she seems completely mismatched for his chaotic energy, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that she’s running her own version of the same con, where’s she’s also scrambling, scheming, and attempting to claw her way toward something better, no matter who gets hurt along the way.
Chalamet, sporting a pencil mustache and a jittery, almost manic physicality, propels the film forward every step of the way. His Marty is exhausting (in a good way to viewers) and paired with Safdie’s direction, the film never lets you relax. Chalamet proves once again that few actors today can make chaos this compelling to watch.
