MARTY SUPREME -- The Crowning

Review by Adam Donato

Is there an actor in the world with more stock than Timothee Chalamet? Last year he starred in one of the defining blockbusters of the decade and gave Adrien Brody a run for his money at the Oscars. Just one year later and he’s at the head of the Best Actor race once again. Leading him to the promised land is Josh Safdie, who was formerly half of the Safdie brothers duo. The two decided to split this time around. Benny Safdie directed The Rock in The Smashing Machine in October, but Josh Safdie gets Timothee Chalamet with a prime Christmas release date. The Smashing Machine had to deal with the likes of Tron: Ares at the box office, meanwhile Marty Supreme is in the wake of Avatar: Fire and Ash. If word of mouth is as expected, then Marty Supreme can be the best bridesmaid of the box office. 

This has to be the year, right? Timothee Chalamet delivers arguably the best performance of his already illustrious career as a fictionalized version of famous tennis player, Marty Reisman. The propaganda about how Chalamet had ping pong tables on his sets for the past six years is an undeniable level of commitment to this role. It seems like the perfect narrative for Chalamet to get his first Oscar. His character is so enduring here in a similar way to previous Safdie protagonists. It's a very physical and funny performance. His charm and eccentricity reaches peak capacity here. The Academy has a reputation of waiting until the greats are due so if he almost won last year, then this could easily be his time in the sun.

It wasn’t like there was some messy break up between Josh and Benny Safdie. Their solo movies are both sports biopics with special lead performances. While Benny delivered a very good movie, Josh gave us one of the best movies of the year. Marty Supreme will be a major player this awards season and deserves every bit of it. It’s an intense rollercoaster that also happens to be one of the funniest movies of the year. The only hang up in the Best Picture pursuit is its lack of heavier pertinent themes. Instead, Marty Supreme is just focused on being one wild ride. It’s definitely in the familiar Safdie brothers formula. An insatiable and relentless man actively pursues excess, but is constantly forced to take two steps back after every step forward. The unofficial trilogy of Good Time, Uncut Gems, and Marty Supreme is punctuated with an exclamation point. 

There’s a litany of standout supporting roles in Marty Supreme. It’s the film debut of both Tyler, the Creator and Kevin O’Leary, who are both fantastic. Tyler has always been known for his larger than life personality and makes a definite impression during his time in the film. O’Leary of Shark Tank fame fits perfectly as this cruel and vindictive business man. This is the first non Marvel movie of Gwyneth Paltrow in over a decade. Her and Odessa A’zion will both be competing for supporting actress. These two women are the driving force for Chalamet’s character throughout the film. Every performance in this movie knocks it out of the park. They all bring fun, scares, and heartbreak to Marty Supreme. 

Marty Supreme is A24’s most expensive film to date and the investment was worth it from a quality perspective. The marketing campaign has already been up to some good stuff as Chalamet is leading the charge. He’s one of the only legitimately undeniable movie stars and this is primed to be his moment for the gold. Josh Safdie’s solo career is off to an absolute bang. It’s one of the best movies of the year and deserves to be seen in a theater this Christmas. 

Marty Supreme will be in theaters on December 25. 
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Rating: 5/5