A few years ago, when Jewish actor Timothée Chalamet said his next project involved ping pong, people were perplexed. The star had already been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as a young Jewish gay man in “Call Me By Your Name” and dazzled many as a young Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.” With his mesmerizing performance as table tennis star Marty Mauser (based on the real-life ping pong champion, Marty Reisman) Chalamet has a good shot at winning the Oscar for Best Actor. If anyone had doubts about whether he was planting his flag as the next blockbuster star, there will be no doubts after “Marty Supreme.”
The movie shows Marty as the half-time entertainment for the Harlem Globetrotters, where the prodigiously talented Mauser performed gags such as using h pots or sneakers for paddles. Reisman, who was called the “Danny Kaye of table tennis” after the famed Jewish actor, was a flamboyant and memorable showman, but his sport was not given much attention. Chalamet threads the needle, giving Mauser a ton of bravado and machismo that never comes across as shtick.
Jewish director Josh Safdie is masterful here and brings some of the gravitas he showed with his brother Benny in “Uncut Gems” starring Adam Sandler. Both movies show a man with tunnel vision for success, taking more and more risks and falling into a deeper hole.
In “Marty Supreme,” Chalamet’s Mauser wears a Jewish-star necklace and hates his job working in his uncle’s shoe store. He is reckless, making odd, attention-getting comments that his success is a defeat of Hitler. He becomes involved with both actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Rachel Mizler (Jewish actress Odessa A’zion) ignoring the fact that neither woman is single.
Chalamet, who learned to play ping pong for the film, has great chemistry with A’zion, whose character manages to flip the script on Marty. Paltrow stepped away from acting after the 2019 Netflix series “The Politician.” She is perfect as a star stuck in a loveless marriage to the affluent Milton Rockwell, a businessman who works with Marty on an exhibition game in Japan. While some may be surprised at the casting of Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank” fame as Rockwell, he is on point, with the only misfire being a line about him being a vampire that sadly doesn’t have the bite it should.
Jewish actress Fran Drescher, who starred in the CBS hit “The Nanny” is excellent in a small role as Marty’s mother. It’s a weakness of the film that she doesn’t have more screentime.
Jewish actor Géza Röhrig who starred in “Son of Saul” is outstanding as ping pong player Bela Kletzki. We see Marty play with fire, even making love on the grass of Central Park at night (did people really do that?) He becomes obsessed with beating a player from Japan, who he believes only was able to previously defeat him because his paddle had more foam padding. Just as Sandler puts everything on the line with one huge bet of a Celtics game in “Uncut Gems,” Mauser puts it all on chance to go to Japan and defeat his rival. In both films, there is also a rock but the one in the older film is much more valuable.
To be sure, there will be some who lament another Jewish character stereotypically focused on money, especially as there is a scene where Marty attempts to take cash from a person he believes may have been shot to death. But the real-life Marty was apparently focused on hustling for money, as are many people of all religions. While we hear the word “mishigas” as ping pong is considered something not serious, some would wish for more of a Jewish flavor in the film.
“Marty Supreme” has an authentic feel that combines action, comedy and a character study. Marty has his ethical issues, but he also has a heart. While Chalamet’s charisma carries the film, what elevates it is that A’zion and Paltrow nail tough roles. We believe Rachel desires him despite the fact that he takes her for granted, and we believe Kay is willing to risk her reputation for a fling.
Reisman reportedly played ping pong with Hollywood stars like Matthew Broderick and Dustin Hoffman in Manhattan. Chalamet personifies a person who is trying hard to be a star from something that he knows deep down does not lend itself to fame.
The film is a thrill ride with rich characters. The script, written by Safdie and Ronald Bronstein is exceptional, though I would have liked to see Marty show a little more emotional pain at times.
“Marty Supreme” is the best film of the year. No other movie blends a serious message with comedy, has such entertaining performances and is heavy on the difficulty scale. Kudos to the makers of this film who gave us something that at times feels like a strange dream but is grounded in reality. Those who desire a political message will not find one here. And while it’s not preachy, the dangers of gambling are clear.
