YNOT at the Movies

From its very first moments, "Marty Supreme" (Finland/USA 2025 | 150 min.) crackles with urgency, pulling you straight into the feverish orbit of its unforgettable hero. Directed by Josh Safdie, the film builds itself around a transformative performance from Timothée Chalamet, who sheds his familiar boyishness for a wiry, mustached hustler fueled by charm, instinct, and sheer velocity.

Set in 1952, the story follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a Lower East Side kid stuck working in his uncle's shoe shop. He finds his escape in the dusty backrooms of competitive ping pong. His dream of becoming the world's best is so outrageous that it barely registers as ambition to anyone around him. The sport itself is overlooked, small, and dismissed, yet the film frames Marty's obsession with the clarity of destiny: every setback only fuels him further.

As Marty hustles his way from underground New York tables to London, Paris, Tokyo, and even the Great Pyramids, the film becomes a whirlwind portrait of a man who believes speed, wit, and improvisation can solve anything. Timothée Chalamet's rapid rhythms, darting physicality, and convincing ping-pong mechanics make the performance fully charged. He becomes a character who is always thinking, always moving, and always ready to work an angle.

As Marty's childhood friend, Rachel Mizler (Odessa A'zion) brings piercing sincerity that breaks through Marty's bravado. His partner in crime Wally (Tyler the Creator) adds offbeat energy in the table-tennis underworld. His seducing target Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), the wealthy businessman's wife also an actress in hiatus, provides opportunities and twists in Marty's conquest toward his ambition.

The director's frequent collaborator, cinematographer Darius Khondji draws thick grain, shadow, and sweat from every environment. The propulsive score by Daniel Lopatin (Daniel Lopatin) blends percussive ricochets with swelling orchestral motifs that echo Marty's pulse. Production designer Jack Fisk and costume designer Miyako Bellizzi shape a world that feels fully in the '50s.

At 150 minutes, the movie is captivating throughout, charging ahead with volatility, humor, unexpected tenderness, and relentless momentum. Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) emerges as a fast-talking, street-smart dreamer whose ambition both propels and consumes him. The film becomes a thrilling character study of a young man who believes deeply in a version of himself that the world refuses to see, and who refuses to let that stop him.

"Marty Supreme" opens in theaters on Friday, December 25, 2025.