Marty Supreme review: You have to take the good with the bad

Ambition is important. It gives people direction. It can give someone’s life meaning. But it’s equally important that those goals be realistic and the means of attaining them are feasible. Some of history’s greatest achievements were realized by someone who swung above their station. However, it’s not healthy to strive for the impossible at the expense of other aspects of your life. Hurting or alienating once supportive loved ones makes for a very lonely journey. Marty Supreme illustrates the consequences of not accepting failure.

In the 1950s, Marty Mauser’s (Timothée Chalamet) one goal in life is becoming the world table tennis champion. The sport is just beginning to gain traction in North America and Marty is telling anyone that will listen that it’s the next big thing. Unfortunately, there’s no funding for table tennis players, so the middle-class wunderkind needs to independently fund his championship run.

With the next tournament set in Japan, he needs to find money for the pricey flight. But each time he gets close, something happens and he has to begin from zero again. Nonetheless, he’s unwilling to give up and the bar keeps getting lower on what he’s willing to do to get there.

Table tennis is not the most invigorating spectator sport. Though similar to tennis, it’s on a much smaller scale. Consequently, they do not show a lot of the play on screen. In fact, the tournaments are reduced to one game per day and only significant point gains. Yet, in these scenes, Marty plays with the intensity usually reserved for a full-sized court, complete with rapid movements and visceral grunting. He appears maniacal, frantic or even possessed next to his opponents.

The majority of the movie follows Marty as he tries to secure enough money to go to Japan. The pattern that quickly arises is Marty gets the money (or concocts a means that will result in money), Marty loses the money and repeat. However, you can only watch someone try and fail so many times before it becomes tedious. Once the viewer loses count of how many times the protagonist’s plan backfires, the narrative loses significance. The redundancy of a recycled plot device becomes predictable and tiresome.

Marty is not especially likeable, though he can turn on the charm when it suits him. Unsurprisingly, the number of people who care for him dwindles throughout the film. He frequently shows glimmers of an agreeable person. But then he immediately destroys the possibility with his next appalling act.

The would-be table tennis champ often pretends to have high standards and integrity. But when push comes to shove, Marty will join the lowest of the low to get what he wants. He lies, steals, takes advantage of people, betrays his friends and debases himself. Regardless of Marty’s assurances, he measures people’s contributions to his life by whether they help him achieve his dream. Anyone is expendable if they even remotely stand in his way.

This is one of Chalamet’s best performances, even if co-writer and director Josh Safdie’s script lacks substance. He’s wholly dedicated to the character and his see-saw personality. Each scene feels genuine, even when Marty’s behaviour is disagreeable. This leads to Gwyneth Paltrow’s aging actress, Kay Stone. Marty sees a meal ticket and a chance to rub “elbows” with the upper class. She’s flattered and intrigued by his self-assurance, but has little tolerance for his immature antics.

There’s a lot made of the Japanese champion’s paddle and the traditional white ball (see the orange ball in all the promotions), but it never amounts to anything. There’s even an opportunity at the end for a mic drop that would see all of Marty’s dreams come true and it never comes to fruition. After all of Marty’s schemes, it’s disappointing to deny audiences this nominal chance at redemption.

Director: Josh Safdie
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Odessa A’zion