"Marty Supreme" Review: A High-Octane Thrill Ride of an Ambitious Dreamer
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Editor's Note: The Paper does not align with Chalamet's distasteful comments on ballet and opera. This is a review of the film as a whole, written before the events took place. We respect all art forms and don't condone the actor's behavior.
By Quinn Kinsella
Timothée Chalamet made sure that Marty Supreme wasn’t just a movie, but an event. Thanks to the viral marketing campaign Chalamet dedicated himself to the few months before the movie’s release, Marty Supreme became a box-office smash, a critical success and an awards season favorite. With a stellar cast, kinetic filmmaking and an electric lead performance by Chalamet, Marty Supreme is a shot of anxiety-infused adrenaline, rounding off one of the strongest years of film in the last decade.
The people in Marty’s life are all victims of his blind ambition. His selfishness transcends cruelty, curdling into something that becomes increasingly painful to watch as the film progresses. Josh Safdie and his co-writer Ronald Bronstein spent six years penning the script for Marty Supreme; thanks to their attention to detail, the dialogue flows naturally, as do much of Marty's interactions with the characters in the film. He drums up lies quicker than lighting and his quick-witted excuses get him out of self-induced dead-ends. Safdie wrote the role of Marty Mauser with Chalamet in mind, before he had broken into the mainstream and became one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood.
Chalamet plays the titular table tennis prodigy. A young Jewish man from New York City working as a shoe salesman, Marty is hyper-focused on achieving his dreams. The film opens with his childhood friend Rachel who is stuck in a dead-end marriage, played effortlessly by Odessa A’zion, visiting him at the shoe store for a steamy tryst. Fran Drescher plays Marty’s mother, faking illnesses in an attempt to get her son’s attention. Tyler the Creator (in his feature film debut) plays a cabby named Wally whose friendship with Marty is put to the test. Gwenweth Paltrow returns to the screen after a 5-year absence to play Kay Stone, a washed up actress that begins an illicit affair with Marty. Stone is married to businessman Milton Rockwell, played by the real-life millionaire Kevin O’Leary in his feature film debut as well. This ensemble of vibrantly realized characters is thanks to casting director Jennifer Venditti who previously worked on Uncut Gems.
Darius Khondji also worked on Uncut Gems, and his cinematography is similar to his previous collaboration with Josh Safdie; tension is injected into the audience’s bloodstream through the film’s photography. The Safdies are professional anxiety-inducers, his latest directorial effort soars to the highs and dips to the lows that come with being a dreamer with undiminishing stores of ambition. Legendary production designer Jack Fisk masterfully evokes early 1950s Manhattan, and paired with Miyako Bellizzi’s costume design, both departments contribute to the fabric of the film. Khondji, Safdie, Fisk and Bellizzi have all been nominated for Oscars for their work in Marty Supreme.
The beautiful score by Daniel Lopatin, known as Oneohtrix Point Never in the electronic music world, is a driving force of the film. Its new-wave soundscape of synths, flutes and ethereal vocals don’t seem to fit the film’s 1950s setting, but nevertheless work symbiotically with its visual language. The soundtrack contains 1980s needledrops that work equally well. Tears for Fears’ “Change” begins the film with an exhilarative kick. Other tracks from Peter Gabriel to New Order further make up the DNA of the film. Tears for Fears neatly bookends the film with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The lyrics, coupled with the last frames of the film, makes for one of the best uses of music in the industry this year. The juxtaposition of the 50s period-accurate sets and costumes with the sounds of the 80s synthesize into something that only the artform of film is able to execute.
Marty Supreme is a technical marvel as much as it is an emotional one. Timothée Chalamet’s performance burns through the celluloid and into real life. Perhaps his best performance, the role of Marty Mauser has seen Chalamet cleaning up this awards season. After winning the Critic's Choice, Golden Globe and being nominated for his third Oscar, many are predicting the golden statue will be his this coming Sunday. Chalamet has received both praise and criticism for his comments on “becoming one of the greats.” With his most recent performance and the third Dune film releasing later this year, he is not on his way to the league of greats. He is already among them.
Quinn Kinsella is a film major in his senior year at The City College of New York. He is the Managing Editor at The Paper and covers pop culture and on-campus arts and culture. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, reading books, and writing poetry.
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