Mary O’Leary discusses Timothée Chalamet’s latest endeavor and assesses how ‘the best performances of his career’ are featured in Marty Supreme.
Marty Supreme hit theaters this holiday season following one of the largest movie promotions of the year, with lead actor Timothée Chalamet engaging in a wide range of advertising, from orange ping pong balls to orange blimps. The movie follows an American ping pong player named Marty Supreme (Chalamet) as he does everything in his power to achieve his dream of becoming a world-renowned ping pong star. Unfortunately, this is a dream that no one respects.
Although this film could be regarded as ping pong’s most charismatically entertaining trainwreck, the narrative still seems somewhat predictable. It appears to be just another sports movie with a down-on-his luck protagonist. Marty Supreme completely subverts this trope however, with the protagonist's ambition being paired with his own charismatic cockiness and inherent selfishness throughout the film. The film successfully manufactures a love/hate relationship with Marty for audiences to experience and navigate.
Right when you assume his situation can’t get worse, it does, creating an almost perpetual feeling of anxiety within the viewer as they watch the growing web of Marty’s life.
The plot itself also utilizes Marty’s personality to craft how the story progresses. The whole film quite literally ‘ping pongs’ between super high highs and super low lows, as the audience watches how Marty’s ambitions push him forward, while his selfishness holds him back. Right when you assume his situation can’t get worse, it does, creating an almost perpetual feeling of anxiety within the viewer as they watch the growing web of Marty’s life.
Despite its early accolades, this movie is certainly not for everyone. As is seen with the protagonists of movies such as Wolf of Wall Street, Marty is selfish and refuses to take responsibility for his actions. He uses other characters (particularly female characters) as props for his own gain. As such, the film is almost doomed to enter the long list of misunderstood ‘film bro’ movies, whose primary audience ignore the male character archetype that the movie seeks to criticize. Viewers who are looking for narratives that stray from the ‘selfish man film’ will most likely not be fans of Marty Supreme.
That being said, the movie is expertly written in its narrative, dialogue, and writing of the main character Marty. The only subplot that felt somewhat overlooked was Marty’s relationship with his rival, Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi). I felt as though his character could have acted as a more direct opposite to Marty’s selfishness if given more screen time.
It’s no surprise that Chalamet has spoken so highly of his work in this film, with his acting being some of the best performances of his career.
On top of its back-and-forth pacing and expert character development with Marty, the movie is also incredibly entertaining. You’re constantly guessing how Marty will navigate his increasingly difficult situations, while simultaneously questioning whether he even deserves to achieve his dreams. The ending itself is neither what the audience or Marty expects, but rather what he needs, offering a subtle subversion of the typical “selfish man” narrative.
It’s no surprise that Chalamet has spoken so highly of his work in this film, with his acting being some of the best performances of his career. The story itself is also far more similar to ‘quote-unquote' serious Hollywood films, marking Chalamet’s successful push toward recognition in respected cinema.
So, whether you’re a Chalamet fan or simply intrigued about ping pong’s manic intensity, grab some popcorn and catch Marty Supreme in cinemas!
Viewers who are looking for narratives that stray from the ‘selfish man film’ will most likely not be fans of Marty Supreme.