SSP Thinks Film

You remember how the main draw of the Safdie Brothers’ UNCUT GEMS was seeing a terrible human being make the worst possible decision time and time again and dig himself an ever-deeper hole? Josh Safdie’s MARTY SUPREME is that again but in an against-the-odds sports movie. In the early 1950s, Wunderkind table tennis player Marty Mauser (Timotheé Chalamet) battles to be the best in his sport while simultaneously fighting his self-destructive personality and burning every one of his bridges along the way. This is an adrenaline-pumping, anxiety-inducing thrill ride that sees its abrasive protagonist shoot for the stars and fall short time after time. The period production design is immersive and the table tennis matches are exhilarating, but even better are the bridging sequences where everything that could possibly go wrong for Marty does so. Chalamet excels as a love-to-hate almost-winner while the supporting cast, particularly Odessa A’zion and Gwyneth Patrow, almost steal the show. SSP