The biggest reason Timothee Chalamet’s performance in ‘Marty Supreme’ is the best of the year? Easy. He pulls off the ultimate magic trick for a thespian – he somehow makes us cheer for the asshole.
See, Supreme, the title character in the film, is awful. Cocky, hyper, disconcerting, yet still sporting a pinch of charm in his arsenal, we SHOULD despise this hustler…..but we don’t. We can’t take our eyes off the kid, and, inevitably, we find ourselves rooting for him.
And that, my friends, makes for an impressive performance.
Based loosely on the story of Marty Reisman, the U.S. singles table tennis champion in 1958 and 1960, ‘Marty Supreme’ plays like an odd fever dream, which shouldn’t be overly surprising as co-writer and director Josh Safdie is at the helm. Safdie co-directed Adam Sandler’s ‘Uncut Gems’ back in 2019, a film that was as polarizing as it was brilliant. Similar to that film, ‘Marty Supreme’, following the journey of an unapologetic con artist, almost dares you to embrace it. And ultimately…..again, this is the genius of the project….it does indeed win you over. It’s simply too captivating to NOT succeed.
Set in the 1950’s, but feeling more like a 1970’s masterpiece due to its overwhelming grit, ‘Marty Supreme’ gives Chalamet the opportunity to go above and beyond like no role before has. A shoe salesman with his sights set on being a world ping pong champion, Marty meets a fading movie star (Gwyneth Paltrow) and makes his move, despite the fact that he has a very wealthy, very cruel husband (‘Shark Tank’/’Dragon’s Den’ host Kevin O’Leary, wonderful casting). Trouble brewing with this situation? Oh yes. And it only escalates.
Like its main character, you don’t have to love ‘Marty Supreme’ to admire what a solid piece of work this is. Don’t miss this one.
