Reel Talk with Julia
I had the unfortunate displeasure of watching Marty Supreme, directed and written by Josh Safdie, over the winter break. This film is set in 1950s New York and follows Marty Mauser, a shoe salesman, hustler and above-average table tennis player, played by Timothée Chalamet. Mauser’s tale centers around the many trials and tribulations of how he made his mark as a world-class table tennis champion.
What can I say positively about Marty Supreme? Let me think…well, Chalamet was amazing in this. Mauser is an extremely unlikable protagonist, which is the point. Mauser will stop at nothing to boost his ego just to serve his self-centered elitism.
Mauser wants the title of ‘best table tennis player in the world,’ but it’s one he most definitely doesn’t deserve. Notably I felt there was an extreme lack of ping-pong action for a character that seemingly only cares about the sport and nothing else — but whatever, I guess.
To unpack the possible meaning behind making Mauser so unlikable, Mauser represents a human embodiment of achieving the ‘American Dream.’ The idea that anyone can achieve their dream often means you must cut down anything or anyone that gets in your way. Mauser does this time and time again through the film’s agonizing two-and-half hour runtime. All thanks to his selfishness and charisma, he makes headway towards his goal. I suppose Chalamet was a shoo-in for that kind of character.
The rest of the cast honestly didn’t stand out to me. Which makes sense since this film is set in Mauser’s POV — of course, everyone in his life would be one-note nobodies that only act as obstacles or help him achieve something he wants.
This movie never lets you get oriented for a moment. You’re immediately thrust into a world of screaming chaos. If that kind of environment is your cup of tea, good for you, I guess? However, if you’re anything like my family, whom I regrettably dragged along, then you’re going to leave with a headache and a hankering for a stiff drink.
I can recognize that I’m looking at this film through whatever the opposite of rose colored glasses is, I know what this film is trying to achieve. It’s chaotic and painful to watch by nature, but that doesn’t mean I have to give it its flowers either.
Marty Supreme doesn’t really have anything interesting to say that hasn’t already been said more eloquently by someone else. If you enjoyed this film, I urge you to ask yourself ‘why.’ Right now, I feel like the positive audience reviews about Marty Supreme remind me of how people say the Mona Lisa is a great piece of art. Do you actually think the Mona Lisa is an amazing work of art, or are you just saying that because everyone else is? Art is meant to be critiqued and analyzed, and if you claim to be a cinaphile but don’t even have the decency to form your own opinion, then maybe get off Letterboxd or something.
Although if you genuinely loved it, with opinions you didn’t steal from an Instagram post, I implore you to try to change my mind. Three outta 10 Julia’s.
If you’re still interested in seeing Marty Supreme for yourself, then showings of the film should be available at the local Minor Theatre in Arcata.
Julia is a journalism major and the co-EIC of the paper. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. She also enjoys going on walks in the forest and taking pictures to relax. If you have a movie you’d like her to review, please email her at jk328@humboldt.edu.