Since the split of the Safdie brothers, the film world has been holding its breath to see if Josh Safdie could maintain that signature, high-octane anxiety on his own. With Marty Supreme (2025), he doesn’t just maintain it—he weaponizes it. This isn’t just a “ping-pong movie”; it’s a dizzying, 150-minute descent into the soul of a man who believes his own hype more than his own reality.

As a critic who has seen it all on the Tomatometer, I’m calling it early: This is the definitive performance of Timothée Chalamet’s career.

The Performance: Chalamet as the Ultimate Hustler

Timothée Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a 1950s New York shoe salesman who moonlights as a table tennis prodigy. Chalamet channels a 1970s-era Al Pacino here—twitchy, fast-talking, and utterly exhausting to be around.

Marty is a narcissist who views his “purpose” in life with a religious fervor. Whether he’s threatening a coworker at gunpoint to fund his trip to London or seducing a retired movie star at the Ritz, Chalamet makes you root for a character you’d probably hate in real life. It’s a performance of pure, unadulterated ego that has “Best Actor” written all over it.

The Safdie Vision: 1950s Grit Meets 1980s Synth

Josh Safdie’s direction is a masterclass in “temporal displacement.” While the film is set in the 1950s, the soundtrack is a jarring, brilliant collection of 80s hits from Public Image Ltd. and Tears for Fears.

The result? You feel as disoriented as Marty himself. The camera is jittery, the edits are sharp, and the sound design makes every bounce of a ping-pong ball feel like a gunshot. Safdie takes a niche sport and turns it into a high-stakes thriller where every match feels like life or death.

The Supporting Cast: A “Shark Tank” Surprise

The ensemble here is as eclectic as it gets:

• Tyler, The Creator (Wally): In his film debut, Tyler brings a grounded, warm energy as Marty’s friend and occasional scam partner. He’s the moral compass in a movie that desperately needs one.
• Kevin O’Leary (Milton Rockwell): “Mr. Wonderful” himself makes a terrifying transition to the big screen. Playing a bigoted, wealthy magnate, O’Leary is the perfect foil to Marty’s scrappy New York hustle.
• Gwyneth Paltrow (Kay Stone): Paltrow’s return to cinema is subtle and tragic. She plays a woman who needs to be adored, finding a strange, mutual obsession with the young ping-pong star.

The “Nobodyz Opinion” Verdict

Marty Supreme is a beautiful, stressful mess of a movie—and that’s exactly why it works. It’s a story about the “American Dream” as a mental illness. It shows that sometimes, being the best in the world isn’t about skill; it’s about being the only person in the room who refuses to believe they can lose.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars