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Marty Supreme (2025) – 8/10 – Chase the stars to break the walls
Overall
Marty Supreme is a sports drama based on the life of a 1950s champion table tennis player, Marty Reisman. Screenwriters fictionalized much of the story for the Hollywood big screen, but the real Reisman was involved in hustling and faced a similar opponent from Japan. The details and names are dramatized, along with the anecdotes and events. For our Marty, roadblocks stood along every avenue he attempted. The message I gathered is that yes, you can aim for the stars, but getting there will risk squandering everything along the way. After such an effort, you’ll likely end up back where you started. I was surprised to learn that the movie received nine Oscar nominations, once again proving it’s a weak year for Hollywood. Among these nominations are Best Cinematography, Best Motion Picture, Best Direction, Best Actor for Timothée Chalamet, Best Screenplay, and Film Editing.
Would I recommend this?
Yes, I recommend this, even though I don’t consider it mandatory to see. When the credits rolled, I found myself disappointed. All that talk and countless nominations behind it, yet I experienced little emotion. Have expectations and standards declined such that movies like these are celebrated? Sure, the technical aspects and acting are solid, but the story leaves you wanting. I see people giving it 9s and 10s, and it’s astounding me. It’s far from dull or deeply flawed, but it wouldn’t make my top 250 movies list, even if it won Best Picture this year. Watch if you have a chance, but don’t expect a mind-blowing or unforgettable experience. My rating is 8/10.
Plot (spoiler-free)
Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) works in a shoe store selling shoes, but his dream is much bigger. He is a gifted table-tennis player who wants to pursue greatness. Nobody takes him or his sport seriously, so he sets off to prove the naysayers wrong. Throughout the journey, he must overcome mockery, affairs with married women, poverty, an unbeatable Japanese opponent, and a business owner who humiliates and takes advantage of him.
Technicals
Marty Supreme is an interesting film with excellent technicals, but several things limit it from reaching its potential. The best aspects are the performances, direction, editing, screenplay, cinematography, and fitting background music. The entire cast performed spectacularly, especially Chalamet. I knew he was a gifted actor, but he shines in every scene. His acting is so authentic and emotional that you forget he is acting. He had been training in table tennis since 2018, when this movie was in pre-production; hats off to his dedication. A’zion and Paltrow delivered impressive performances as Marty’s love interests. Unfortunately, the characters aren’t likable. It was likely intentional to show the many facets of Marty and the people he surrounded himself with. Some of them have interesting stories, even if they’re unexplored. One of Marty’s friends, for example, was based on Alojzy Ehrlich, an actual survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp. The Nazis transferred him to Dachau for the gas chambers until they discovered he was a table tennis champion. They kept Ehrlich alive and forced him to dismantle unexploded bombs in the forest until the Soviets arrived and freed everyone. I would be lying if I said I felt no satisfaction at the end.
As for issues, Marty Supreme could use tighter editing. Several scenes went on longer than necessary and hurt the pacing. Second, Marty and multiple other characters drift from scene to scene. I don’t know what their intentions or desires were. You could attribute that to complex characters, but it made them unrelatable. Third, I was not fond of the atmosphere or the vibe throughout. Marty’s passionate nature was interesting and helped draw you in, but there wasn’t much inspiring about him. The story and passion are present, but I didn’t feel fully immersed and found myself constantly checking the remaining playtime.
*Obtained trivia facts from IMDb’s trivia page and plot/basic history/name information from Wiki
