Courtesy of A24
“Marty Supreme” has broken multiple box office records for A24, including biggest opening day and highest per theater average.Editor’s note: Spoilers for “Marty Supreme.”
A young, skinny, energetic American man stands face-to-face against his Japanese nemesis and challenges him to a high-stakes, unstaged round of (surprisingly) the most suspenseful sport of the year: table tennis. With everything on the line, the American sprints, lunges and smashes every ping-pong ball coming his way with all his strength.
On Christmas, A24 released the highly anticipated “Marty Supreme”; it stars Timothée Chalamet as the titular Marty Mauser and directed by Josh Safdie, the movie has become A24’s highest grossing film ever at over 70 million dollars in the box office.
Long before the release of the movie, A24 began its promotions in a flashy way. In November, a bright orange “Marty Supreme” blimp flew over Los Angeles for a month before moving to other parts of the country such as Texas and Mississippi.
Although the film is largely fictional, it was inspired by real-life table tennis champion Marty Reisman. Set in 1950s New York, the movie follows the young shoe salesman Marty Mauser, who dreams of becoming a world-famous table tennis champion.
The movie highlights the sport of table tennis with its fast-paced games and intense matches. As someone who doesn’t watch table tennis or know much about it, the games were easy to follow and I found myself invested in each match.
Mauser’s financial struggles lead him to rely on his best friend Wally, played by Tyler Okonma (known for his music as Tyler, The Creator), for some extra cash; Okonma brings out the role of Wally perfectly with a loud and chaotic character. Mauser and Wally’s light-hearted banters brought humor and emotional relief, balancing out the film’s darker moments where Mauser feels like giving up or faces near-death experiences.
The trust between Wally and Mauser allows them to easily con amateur table tennis players by staging fake fights so others will bet money against Mauser, which he needs to pay off his debt and play in the world championships held in Tokyo. Although he doesn’t stay for the whole journey, Wally’s antics with Mauser were some of my favorite moments from the movie.
What ultimately makes this movie stand out is how Mauser isn’t your typical protagonist; rather, he’s a manipulative and calculative person who’s fast on his feet and able to make gutsy decisions without hesitation. When it comes to table tennis, he is passionate and hot headed. Mauser is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his table tennis dreams, even if it means lying, conning or stealing from people.
With his astronomically large ego, it seems as if Mauser can never be wrong. However, as his already dire situation gets worse, he learns that shady tactics and snarky remarks won’t always get him what he needs.
Just when you think things will finally go Mauser’s way, there’s always an unexpected plot twist. With intense music and long pauses, Safdie successfully builds suspense throughout the movie, leaving me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens.
One of the main driving forces behind the success of “Marty Supreme” is Chalamet, who’s able to fully capture Mauser’s every emotion, from flashy confidence to frantic desperation, Chalamet turned what could have been a standard underdog sports story into something far more compelling.
I felt that Chalamet’s nuanced performance was what gave the movie its emotional impact and brought the character of Marty Mauser to life.
Although the movie may start off unclear about how Mauser will achieve his dreams, it doesn’t take long for it to pick up with its action-packed scenes. However, I felt the ending of the movie didn’t tie up all the loose ends and I still had some questions.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Falcons
