With the new year rapidly unfolding, awards season is into full swing. Now, audiences can see most of the top models of filmmaking from 2025. One of the later releases, Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” was released over the holidays. With an outrageous marketing campaign helmed by star Timothee Chalamet and the creative marketing team, one can’t help but be interested in what the appeal behind, as Chalamet states in a viral Instagram video, “Marty Supreme Christmas Day.” Luckily, all the hype was deserved, as Marty Supreme is a consistently captivating watch throughout its whole two and-a-half-hour runtime.
The film follows table tennis player Marty Mauser, a talented young man who will stop at nothing to win the national championship. After a devastating loss, he goes through leaps and bounds to get back to Japan to claim the title he believes belongs to him. While the concept itself seems simple, the movie is filled with a whirlwind of love affairs, con schemes, and action that transcends the usual sports movie genre components.
Timothee Chalamet leads an absolute powerhouse of actors. His performance as Marty is incredibly energetic and keeps you interested in the narrative. His success in playing a man that is not a great person, but still, someone to root, for shows his ability to handle complex character arcs and handle demanding roles. Other big names in the cast include Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin O’Leary (yes, the man from Shark Tank). Paltrow and O’Leary play married couple Kay Stone and Milton Rockwell, a former silent film actor (and Marty’s lover) and business tycoon, respectively. They do an excellent job affirming their ability to simultaneously stand out and work well within an ensemble.
Though Chalamet gives a top leading performance of 2025, he seems to be surpassed by costar Odessa A’zion, who plays Rachel, a former lover who is now carrying his child. A relatively unknown name compared to other performers in this film, A’zion constantly proves herself worthy to be there. Her character is consistently dynamic, as she goes along Marty’s journey with equal cunning, intelligence, all while being pregnant! With this film, A’zion has marked herself as one to watch in Hollywood. With one of the best supporting performances of the year, she was absolutely snubbed at this year’s Academy Awards.
Another excellent performance comes from Tyler the Creator (credited as Tyler Okonma). Okonma has continued to be a trailblaze and shown continuous promise through his music career, and his new acting career seems to be no different. Okonma keeps up with seasoned actors with no problem. His chemistry with Chalamet translates wonderfully on screen, and his emotional range adds both intensity and comedic relief. After this performance, the potential for a successful acting career seems to be inevitable for Okonma.
Every expectation that a viewer gets throughout this film is immediately defied with the next plot point, which makes “Marty Supreme” a particularly interesting screenplay. The outlandish nature of the events immediately affirms the accuracy of the audience who think there is no way all these events are real, as the plot is a fictionalized version of the life of table tennis player Marty Resiman. This is what stands out amongst the other screenplays of the year, as there is something so masterful in the absurdity of the narrative of “Marty Supreme.” While there is an overall lacking the screenplay “saying something,” as compared to other 2025 releases, this might contribute to the constant easiness of entertainment value of the film.
The directing and production design work together to create a visceral image of down-on-your-luck New York in 1950s, with an abrupt yet cohesive contrast with the appearances of Paltrow and O’Leary’s characters. Additionally, cinematography acts as a powerful tool in this film. The framing of the characters is essential to the tension and intense emotion throughout, handled successfully by the camera crew.
The film was nominated for nine categories at this year’s Academy Awards, with Best Lead Actor for Chalamet, Best Directing for Safdie, and Best Picture. Additional nominations include Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Casting, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.
“Marty Supreme” is a must-see film, as every scene is a twist and turn that is absolutely worth the two-and-a-half hour runtime.
Marty Supreme is now playing in theaters.