Despite his best efforts to undermine his standing with Academy voters during his press tour, Timothée Chalamet is Leonardo DiCaprio’s biggest competition for the Best Actor Oscar. His layered and complex performance as the titular Marty in Marty Supreme (a loose biopic of American ping pong player Marty Reisman) is nothing short of astounding. He pushes his abilities to new heights with an impressively diverse array of traits and emotions, ranging from endearing charm to calculated malice, and everything in-between. Director Josh Safdie really brought out Chalamet’s A-game in a way that was mesmerizing to watch unfold over the course of the film.
Marty Supreme succeeds in so many ways. Narratively, the relentless pace and shifting between ping pong sports drama, to juggling personal relationships, to getting mixed up in an array of accidental crimes keeps the viewer locked in and engaged throughout. Aesthetically, the cinematography, costumes and production design are fantastic. Musically, the 1980s syth score takes some time to adjust per the 1950s setting, but then becomes a standout component that drives the visceral feelings evoked from the escalating tension/drama. All of these elements combine to yield supremely entertaining cinema.
The performances from the supporting cast are also very strong across the board. Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Tyler the Creator, Kevin O’Leary all respectively have a love/hate relationship with Marty and suffer the consequences from his recklessness and bask in the glory of his triumphs. It’s a very strong ensemble. And although I personally hate O’Leary’s real life persona, he does an excellent job as a ruthless, rich investor (of course).
Marty Supreme is an outstanding film that is one of the best of the year, and will surely be in the awards mix this season across all categories. It is a smidge too long as the exhaust from the mayhem builds up over time. But it’s just an incredibly well-made, well-acted, interesting story that deserves to be seen.
