“Marty Supreme” is a 2025 film released on Christmas day featuring Timothée Chalamet who plays as a table-tennis pro known as Marty Mauser. Marty lives in early 1950s New York and in the film, Marty’s dream is to become a national table-tennis champion. In fact, he will do anything to make this dream come true – even betraying and ruining the lives of people around him and in the process, fathering a child. 

This two-and-a-half hour long movie was directed by Josh Safdie, an American filmmaker famously known for his work writing and directing crime thrillers “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems.” 

With a production budget of about $60 to $70 million, the movie was heavily marketed through all sorts of unusual ways. Chalamet headed up the marketing promotions through social media, appearing on talk shows, flying blimps, gifting “Marty Supreme” jackets, putting his face on purchasable Wheatie boxes, and even making an appearance atop the Las Vegas sphere. With such a large marketing presence, it was expected that the movie would be a hit.  

This turned out to be true when, after releasing, the movie brought in over $100 million worldwide thanks to the over-the-top marketing methods. 

The movie immediately starts out with great music and even greater cinematography. Every scene is shot so beautifully and has a truly vintage atmosphere to it at the beginning. 

The plot follows Marty as he tries to gather money to attend the British Table-Tennis Open located in London. After finally finding his way there, despite the barriers around him, he plays at the open and makes it to the final round. Karma finally catches up with Marty though when he loses to Koto Endo, an experienced player from Japan. 

However, this loss only fuels his ambition more. Marty is determined to attend the next World Table Tennis Championship in Japan to go up against Endo again, his self-appointed rival.

From the start, it is apparent that Marty is too determined. In his mission to gather the money to travel to Japan, he involves himself in multiple scams and affairs in order to gain profit. 

In the film, Marty remarks, “Everything in my life is falling apart, but I’ll figure it out.” This is where he says the most truthful thing of the whole movie because, surprisingly, throughout every single mishap and setback, Marty does figure it out. Whether it be a loophole or simply conning people over and over, he finds a way out of any predicament and a way to the next opportunity. 

Marty is a cocky, selfish, back-stabbing narcissist. This fact should make you resent his character altogether. His actions speak louder than his words, or more realistically, his lies, but throughout the film makes you silently root for his character’s success. You want him to come back from every downfall of his character. 

The movie perfectly encapsulates the coexistence of being both a bad person yet audiences leave the theater feeling  inspired. 

While watching, you are supposed to like Marty and then feel bad about it. Most reviews I’ve seen for this movie have been in criticism of Chalamet’s character and the glorification of a “male manipulator.” But Marty isn’t glorified because he never gets redeemed. He ultimately loses in the end because even if he did succeed at beating Endo, that still leaves him broke and without his coveted “national champion” title.  

In contrast though, I’d argue that it was never about the money for Marty. It was his passion but in order to reach his goals, he had to use people around him and promise a return on their investment, which he cannot do.

In my opinion, the movie was great. Will I be watching it again? No. The movie said all it needed to through the first watch. We tend to root for bad people even when we know about their actions. There are plenty of “not good” people in popular sports leagues yet we still want them to win. 

The movie was a great analogy for what people call the “indomitable human spirit,” that is, the persistence to go on no matter the odds. The fact that Marty has an insatiable need to be the best and will do anything to get there almost makes you respect his hustle. Marty was a terrible person, but doesn’t everybody want to rule the world?