The key to success is a combination of self-confidence, charisma and a creative hustle. That is, at least, according to champion table tennis player Marty Reisman. Reisman’s notoriety is due to both his talent and the extreme measures he took to achieve success. His eccentric life has recently been dramatized in Josh Safdie’s 2025 film, “Marty Supreme,” a brilliant mess of overlapping storylines that cleverly satirizes extreme desperation in the name of ambition.
“Marty Supreme” is set in the ’50s, but has an ambiguous vintage atmosphere that creates instant timelessness; it was shot primarily on 35-millimeter film and accompanied by a soundtrack heavily inspired by ’80s synth-pop. French-American actor Timothée Chalamet plays Reisman’s fictional counterpart, Marty Mauser—a hotheaded, overly ambitious 23-year-old New Yorker with a dream of winning the World Table Tennis Championships. We meet Marty as he is leaving his job at a family shoe store, full of blind confidence that he will take home the trophy for the British Open. After robbing his family’s shop at gunpoint, demanding more luxurious accommodations and seducing retired actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), Marty is defeated by Japanese player Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), left with nothing but the consequences of his own actions. The rest of the film follows Marty as he attempts to redeem his own ego at the championship in Japan. Over the course of the next year, Marty embarks on an extensive scramble to gather the funds he needs, scamming and manipulating everyone in his life, including his friends, family and businessman—and Kay’s husband—Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary). Marty’s antics are incredibly comical, ranging from morally dubious to incredibly illegal.
“Marty Supreme” is one of the most chaotic films I have ever seen. The combination of the interwoven subplots and Darius Khondji’s frantic, detail-oriented cinematography is overwhelming yet engaging. Khondji focuses on short shots that let us in on the urgency of a given situation. During the table tennis scenes, the perspective rapidly switches between the players, the ball and the paddles, allowing us to feel as if we are actually playing rather than spectating. We get to know the characters intimately through extreme close-ups of their faces that reveal their scars, blemishes and birthmarks. The audience experiences everything that makes them human: their breathing, imperfections and emotions. Every triumph or misfortune becomes all the more meaningful, as we can see even the most subtle shifts in their emotional presentation.
Throughout the film, we learn about Marty through his friends. Rachel played by Odessa A’Zion, is a married childhood friend with whom he is having an affair, and Wally, played by Tyler Okonma—who is better known by his stage name, Tyler, the Creator—Marty’s close friend and fellow table tennis player who works as a taxi driver. Rachel discovers she is pregnant with Marty’s child, and feels trapped in her marriage. Wally needs to provide for his family, but finds himself becoming entangled in Marty’s ridiculous schemes. Rachel and Wally are both compelling characters who reveal more about Marty and his interpersonal relationships. Their stories slowly unfold as their problems become more relevant to Marty’s life. Their conflicts not only add more complications to Marty’s plan but also force the viewer to see them through his eyes.
Marty is the epitome of an antihero. I found him to be incredibly unsympathetic; his blind ambition and lack of respect for the basic needs of others establish him as selfish and reckless. Yet I also found myself invested in his story, not because I wanted him to succeed, but simply out of morbid curiosity about what might happen next. Chalamet’s performance was effective not only because of his talent as an actor, but also because of the effort he put into realizing the character both on and off screen.
Before the movie was released, Chalamet posted an 18-minute video on X. This was a staged Zoom call with the marketing team from A24, discussing potential promotional materials for “Marty Supreme.” Chalamet’s behavior was bizarre, to say the least. He was overly enthusiastic about his rather absurd ideas, which included putting an image of himself on a Wheaties box, painting the Statue of Liberty orange and flying a fleet of blimps with the “Marty Supreme” logo printed on the side. The mediocre concepts paired with his unbridled confidence set a precedent for Marty’s character, and this strange post, which quickly became the source for numerous internet memes, proved to be an effective way to publicly merge Chalamet’s persona with Marty’s character.
Part of what makes “Marty Supreme” such an effective film is its ability to indirectly place the audience into the story. Many of the plot points are unexpected and unsatisfying, yet nothing feels incomplete. The cinematography allows us to feel that we are also experiencing the events of Marty’s life. This forced empathy created cognitive dissonance for me: If I so morally disagree with Marty, then why do I still feel his need to succeed? Ultimately, “Marty Supreme” serves as an effective commentary on the dangers of reckless ambition. While I disliked Marty as a character, being directly in his mind allowed me to see bits of myself in him. “Marty Supreme” had no explicit message, but was a chilling warning of what can happen if we try to force our way through life. For all its absurdity, “Marty Supreme” is a hard-hitting, deeply emotional piece of cinema that has still not left my mind.