This is not a full review, and certainly not a full on critique of the movie, just a collection of my fresh reactions to one of the biggest and most hyped fims of the year. So, please, take this with a grain of salt.
Josh Safdie's 'Marty Supreme' is a tough film to love, but a damn-near impossible one to hate. A two-and-a-half-hour epic about ping pong is an interesting proposal, but the result? Perhaps even more interesting than initially proposed.
The titular Marty Mauser - played by a bold Timothee Chalamet - is a conniving, havoc-wreaking delinquent. He's that one annoying friend who just won't stop asking you for money. But, just like that one friend, you are charmed; pulled eloquently into Chalamet's trap, because Marty has one thing no modern-day humans have: a drive, a purpose, a will to live.
Most of those in the western world seem to have lost that spark, that ambition, the deranged but glorious state Marty inhibits and refuses to leave.
Josh Safdie, in his first solo feature, captures an energy that is so human, so familiar, yet so alien. An energy of hope, an energy of years past. It's the same energy that keeps you supporting your favourite sports team - even after a thrashing that brings you to tears. It's the same energy that forces me to dunk my foam basketball in the middle of the night, waking up the whole building. It's the same energy that wills me to write this review instead of spending quality time with my family on Christmas.
It's an energy we all crave yet so rarely muster.
Paired with his brother Benny, Josh Safdie has made some pretty hectic films. Their last picture, 'Uncut Gems', is a roller-coaster ride through NYC's enigmatic Diamond District, offering a viewing experience akin to riding a formula one car around a track, with no seatbelt, no experience, and no helmet.
'Marty Supreme' is no different, just this time the film sprawls across three continents, features the performance of the year, and a vast runtime that still leaves the viewer asking for more.
I'm not saying 'Marty Supreme' is a perfect picture, in fact it's not even the film of the year. But what it does do well, it does incredibly well.
At the heart of the film is a relentless and charming performance from Timothee Chalamet. The film just wouldn't work without him. Whether you like it or not he is a once-in-a-generation old-school movie star who navigates this performance with heart, desire, and control.
Chalamet is the reason people will come and see this movie, in fact, he is this movie. Timothee Chalamet is Marty Mauser. If you handed me a description of each's personality and told me to spot the difference we'd be here for hours.
Many think this is a show that the actor has put on - a public mask to sell movie tickets. The problem with this philosophy, however, is thar conjuring up a marketing performance to make his movie successful is, well, exactly what Marty would do.
In Timothee's own words he is "in pursuit of greatness". He dreamt big, shot for the stars, whatever cheesy metaphor you can think of he did it, and in the end, I'd say it worked out; just like it did for Marty.