A Christmas Release: Marty Supreme Movie Review
By Kat Willson ‘26, Head Editor-in-Chief; Edited by Safiya Ahmed ‘27, Editor-in-Chief
While many people spent the end of 2025 with their families, I made a trip to my local cinema (aka Cineplex) to watch a movie I’ve been anticipating: Marty Supreme. This film has been everywhere since its release in North America on Christmas Day – so much so that it is officially A24’s (the movie’s production company) highest-grossing film EVER. Starring Timothée Chalamet, with Josh Safdie at the helm as director and writer, it was expected to be a smash hit.
Set in 1950s New York City, the film follows Marty Mauser (played by Chalamet), a young man with the dream of making it big in the ping pong world that no one believes in except himself. The film follows him and his unwavering commitment to his dream; the audience sees this through the predicaments he gets himself into as a result of his ambition and leaving behind his family and friends.
Marty is an interesting depiction of an individual who is a borderline narcissist – we see him completely disregard others’ feelings through his actions and words, with his focus solely on him achieving his dream. He does have an interesting redemption of sorts at the end of the movie, one that I enjoyed. Marty, as a character, is someone that you cannot help but root for at times, while simultaneously wanting to smack; he is depicted as an individual with many flaws, and is arguably a downright awful person. But one can also see how he subtly grows throughout the film – particularly while reflecting on the movie as a whole – which sets up an ending with a heartwarming twist. Alongside Marty, there were many characters who consistently played key roles throughout the film: Kay Stone (played by Gwyneth Paltrow), Wally (Tyler, The Creator), Rachel Mizler (Odessa A’zion), and Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) all consistently pop in and out of the movie’s plot, with each appearance shaping the plot in different directions. I enjoyed how they were all deeply flawed, which showed that no one is perfect but also highlighted the flawed environment that Marty manoeuvred in, which, in a way explains his behaviour at times.
The film is similar to watching a car crash, you simply cannot look away from the destruction that you are witnessing. I was fully engrossed the entire time, between the plot surprising me – something I have begun to notice is hard to do due to the predictability of movies nowadays – and Chalamet’s incredible performance. Chalamet (as of writing) has won a Critics Choice Award and a Golden Globe, which makes him the youngest winner to date for those awards, as well as him being a favourite for winning Best Actor at the Oscars, in which he would also become the youngest winner if he nabs the Academy Award. Putting aside the role’s critical acclaim, I personally believe that this was a terrific performance. Marty is a character who has many layers, which Chalamet showcased well; Marty is extremely arrogant, impulsive, and self-destructive – all characteristics Chalamet expertly depicted while simultaneously showing Marty’s positive traits. But, most importantly, he was the reason the movie felt like watching a car crash. I could not look away from the screen at all (nor did I want to) when he was on screen – he was truly magnetic.
Overall, the film is good. I wouldn’t say it’s an amazing movie and is the best I’ve ever seen– but it is interesting and engaging. I’m happy that a unique movie has garnered so much interest from the general public, as in the last few years it seems there are fewer and fewer new films in cinema that aren’t remakes or sequels (things that I personally hate.) As a period drama it fits one’s expectation of the genre well;the sets, costumes, and dialogue are fitting for the time period, alongside the movie’s theatrics. While I don’t think it is award-worthy, it is worthy of the nominations. If you have yet to see Marty Supreme I highly recommend it!
While it may not be a movie that requires deep intellectual thought, and is more of a film made to entertain, there is always room for a film like this, and I would argue that we need more of them. If I were to rate the movie (which I did as I’m a big fan of Letterboxd), I would rate it four out of five stars.
