Marty Supreme: Why talking the talk is vital

I felt very lucky to see Marty Supreme on its opening night in a packed cinema. What bewildered me was not only the sheer number of people who, on Boxing Day, had raced to the cinema despite the languor that follows a Christmas Day meal, but also the fact that there was no singular age demographic that wasn’t represented.

It’s a positive sign when a multigenerational audience in Didsbury are seated to watch over two hours of sports-comedy-drama about a conceited ping-pong player and swindler set in 1950s New York. An unconventional family film, but I suppose there are only so many times The Muppets Christmas Carol can be watched.

I myself contributed to this diverse assembly as was accompanied by my 15-year-old cousin (who was more excited to see a film rated 15 in cinema than the actual film) and my father (a previous Chalamet sceptic) both of whom were wearing satisfied smiles while the credits rolled. As the crowd filtered its way out, I felt certain that audiences will walk away in agreement that Timothée Chalamet is a tremendous talent.

Marty Mauser is the role that has been waiting for him rather than the other way around

For those who have watched Chalamet over his short yet illustrious career, this performance will feel less like a revelation and more like the fulfilment of destiny. Marty Mauser is the role that has been waiting for him rather than the other way around. However, to those who haven’t paid attention to him, his character in Marty Supreme, an arrogant youth willing to do whatever it takes to be the best – money, humility or ethics be damned – should encourage them to start.

Beyond the undeniability of Chalamet’s excellence, I believe this film taps into a core part of our nature as human beings, which is: as much as we love to praise excellence and love watching it in real time, we are also in awe of the audacity that it necessitates.

I would say this movie is not about excellence, but rather an ode to the unshakeable self-belief and unfaltering self-image that is necessary to achieve excellence. There’s a reason this film doesn’t begin with Marty starting to learn and refine his craft. It is already established in the first 10 minutes that he’s the real deal.

Marty’s excessive self-aggrandizement is unwavering. So unwavering, that one expects to be slightly underwhelmed by his ping-pong playing, but lo and behold – he’s spectacular

However, in the ’50s, ping-pong was a punchline. It was not regarded as athletically impressive like basketball or baseball, and so Marty’s determination is treated not as inspiring but incorrigible. Nonetheless, Marty’s excessive self-aggrandizement is unwavering. So unwavering, that one expects to be slightly underwhelmed by his ping-pong playing, but lo and behold – he’s spectacular. The ping-pong scenes are electrifying, and a true testament to Chalamet’s dedication – he apparently trained for 6 years so he could perform all the sequences himself. However, while watching the game, it is Marty’s reactions and expressions in between rounds that pull you in.

Moreover, I would say the scenes when Marty isn’t playing ping-pong are even more engrossing. His essence is a mirror of the sport. Just as the tiny ball bounces in countless different directions, so do his body and emotions, equally as unpredictable and chaotic. Watching him move through the world is like watching a high-intensity sport.

An example of one of these moments is when Marty is asked what would happen if his quest for greatness doesn’t pan out. He responds emphatically and without hesitation: “That doesn’t even enter my consciousness.” He is so incredulous at the question, as if the word failure is nonsensical gibberish. A line like that sends chills through the body.

Context is instrumental to Marty’s story. Marty Mauser is a young working-class Jewish man living in New York in the 1950s and is, in many ways, the personification of his environment. At this time, the US was living in the shadow of World War II, and Cold War friction resulted in an emphasis on flaunting American exceptionalism. Having sport teams tour internationally and play exhibition matches was a part of that strategy.

Domestically, successful displays of capitalism were mandated by the US government as attempts to thwart the spread of communism, so while many white middle-class families migrated to the suburbs to fulfil the “white-picket fence” version of the American Dream, many ethnic minorities remained in urban areas.

They embodied a different version of the American Dream, one that centred “rugged individualism”, a philosophy that prioritises hard-work and self-sufficiency. That is Marty in a nutshell.

He is motivated by the desire to be (and be seen as) exceptional and self-made. Marty is the city that never sleeps. Director Josh Safdie encapsulates this feeling of 1950s New York, saying in an interview: “You [could] be anyone from anywhere and you can find glory and there’s a reason to your existence.”

This movie has other superb performances but Odessa A’zion is a real standout, and it will be exciting to watch what she does next

With awards season just around the corner, Chalamet’s performance will, deservedly, dominate the conversation surrounding this film. Nonetheless it is imperative to give everyone their flowers, as this is a project simply bursting at the seams with talent. Josh Safdie’s direction is brilliant at generating comedically stressful sequences. The script, co-written by Safdie and Richard Bronstein (his collaborator on Uncut Gems), contains extremely emotionally potent and quotable dialogue. This movie has other superb performances but Odessa A’zion is a real standout, and it will be exciting to watch what she does next. The production design and the score are perfectly calibrated, situating you in both the physical and mental landscape of the period.

The press tour for Marty Supreme is also worth discussing as it feels like an extension of the movie itself. Whether it is the 18-minute ‘leaked’ Zoom call where Chalamet is seen pitching absurd ideas like painting the Statue of Liberty orange to a gobsmacked marketing team or the pop-up where Chalamet is surrounded by a sea of his friends wearing orange ping-pong balls on their heads. It’s the same maximalist showmanship that permeates the movie.

In one press interview, Chalamet matter-of-factly stated that he has been delivering “top-of the line performances for years” and that Marty Supreme is “top-level sh*t”.

Many people online have been put off by his comments, not having caught on to the fact that they are part of the film’s marketing campaign, blurring the line between Chalamet’s real-life persona and his character Marty. However, the young star has not been shy in promoting himself, as months ago at the SAG awards he announced in an acceptance speech that he is in “pursuit of greatness”. This conviction feels directly lifted from the Marty Mauser playbook, and while the public might be inclined to cynically dismiss it, when it pays off, it galvanises one’s spirit.

This is not to say that Marty Mauser is someone you should aspire to be. On the contrary, his inflated male ego and narcissism are insufferable to us and destructive to those around him. However, his propensity to dream big and envision a future that no one else saw for him and then back it up with the work and the drive is admirable. Both Chalamet and Marty deliver on what they promised. Especially in an age where young people feel uncomfortable talking about their own achievements for fear of being labelled “out of touch”, Marty Supreme is refreshing in its honesty about how it is not enough to let your actions speak for you – your words must as well.