Any movie that is based on even a grain of truth always captures my interest. Couple that with the world of championship ping pong in the 1950s and Marty Supreme is a movie that we just had to see. Viewers will both root for and rue Marty Mauser, played expertly by Timothée Chalamet. A shoe salesman, only as a means of raising money, the supremely egotistical Marty makes numerous unfortunate choices, trying to achieve his goal of becoming the world’s best ping pong player.
The film is loosely based on the life of Marty Resiman, who was a ping pong champ long before it was popular in the U.S. He went on to become the oldest player to win a national championship in a racket sport.
The film showcases tournaments in New York, London, and ultimately Japan, with Marty as an exceptional player without the financial resources to reach his goal. Don’t expect the majority of the film to feature ping pong games, but the ones Marty plays in are fast-paced and exciting to watch. For the role, Chalamet learned how to play at a competitive level and does an outstanding job, especially when he is dueling with Koto Endo, a deaf Japanese savant competitor, played by Koto Kawaguchi.
An ambitious player, Marty comes from a contentious family, with his disapproving mom played by Fran Drescher (who still has that distinctive voice). There seems to be no limit on what he will do for his singular goal to travel and attain ping pong greatness. You will be caught up in the chaos, as he is willing to stop at nothing, including stealing, getting paddled on the bottom, and every other sort of hustle imaginable, to get what he wants.
When he meets movie star Kay Stone, played seductively by Gwyneth Paltrow, he charms the pants off her and then must contend with her husband Milton Rockwell, played by Kevin O’Leary, whose first acting role truly suits him as a “shark.” To complicate matters, his friend Rachel, played endearingly by Odessa A’zion, gets pregnant but still supports him throughout the tumultuous chaotic journey, which includes unbelievable escapades and a dog scam, to achieve his dream. I’ll let you see if his ambivalence changes and he ends up doing the right thing.
Reluctantly (again for money), he goes on a world tour where he plays trick table tennis games, which are fun to watch, for the Harlem Globetrotters half-time show. For all Marty’s bravado and obstacles to overcome, there are numerous distractions in the movie, like the wild bathtub scene. You are sure to vacillate between loving and hating the overly confident Marty.
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Genre: Drama
Director: Josh Safdie
Actors: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Fran Dresher
Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Rating: R for strong language, sexual and mature themes
