Marty Supreme (2025) * * *

Directed by: Josh Safdie

Starring:  Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin O'Leary, Fran Drescher, Odessa A'Zion, Tyler Okonma, Sandra Bernhard

Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme is a story of a cocky ping-pong player circa 1952 who is convinced so thoroughly of his greatness that he forgets to win the tournament he's competing in.  He's too busy trying to woo actress Kay Stone (Paltrow) and enter into a business deal with her husband Milton Rockwell (O'Leary), who sees the overbearing Marty Mauser (Chalamet) as a way for him to sell pens in Japan.  Marty thinks performing in halftime shows at Harlem Globetrotter games is beneath him, but he has to find a way to earn a living in between tournaments, especially after being waxed by a Japanese player who uses a different type of paddle.

Safdie's movie is one of relentless motion.  Marty is forever looking for the next scheme or angle to make some money he didn't earn, with the promise that his future winnings will more than pay for the investment in him.  He also tries to avoid Rachel (A'Zion), with whom he was having a fling and is now eight months pregnant with Marty's child.  Marty denies this, of course, because she's married and it's probably her husband's...or so he hopes.  His next obsession is to travel to Japan to take on Endo, the now national hero who is the pride of Japan after decimating Marty in London.  Marty's post-match (and frankly pre-match) behavior has enraged tournament organizers to the point that he's banned from the Japanese tourney.  

The escalating series of adventures, some of which are deadly, Marty finds himself in is at the heart of Marty Supreme.  We question how Marty doesn't just collapse under the pressure he's putting on himself to live up to his self-billing, and how Rachel can still love him even though he's mostly unlovable.  Timothee Chalamet, very likely to nab a third Oscar nomination for Best Actor here, goes all-in and isn't afraid to be unlikable while still being fascinating at the same time.  We can't stop watching him, and we may even feel sorry for him if he lets us.  The supporting cast also doesn't just sit back and allow Marty to run all over them.  Kay is surely attracted to Marty, but doesn't see him as a suitable replacement for her prick of a husband.  Paltrow finds herself in a pickle of her own choosing, while O'Leary maintains a commanding screen presence as a character not a million miles removed from his Shark Tank persona.

I don't know how much I buy Marty's turnaround in the final twenty minutes.  The ending feels forced, as if a happy ending was needed to make the journey worth it.  But for most of Marty Supreme, the best moments are when Marty acts as the scheming, conniving jerk who is always looking for the next sucker to help enrich him.