The Reel Review
A bold, self-absorbed opportunist in 1950s New York is a whirlwind of chaos as he pursues his dream of becoming the world table tennis champion. Timothée Chalamet, Odessa A’zion and Gwyneth Paltrow star in this period sports dramedy inspired by 1940s/50s table tennis hustler Marty Reisman.
Marty Supreme is a textbook Safdie brothers character – a narcissistic yet charismatic cad, who, when not channeling tennis great John McEnroe’s abrasive showmanship, is scamming literally everyone around him – his shoe store boss, his co-worker, his friends, his mother (Fran Drescher), and even his sex partners (A’zion and Paltrow) who are married to other men. Chalamet gives an almost too convincing portrait as the unlikable jerk who eventually is surprised to discover that one of the women in his life is just as much of a conniving grifter as he is.
Co-writer/director Josh Safdie’s exhaustingly long, frenetic mashup of his 2019 crime dramedy Uncut Gems with The Queen’s Gambit is cleverly written with his usual array of odd-looking character actors. He also does a good job of capturing the visuals of the period, despite a score that weirdly features 80s pop tunes. Regardless, the film is an entertaining roller coaster of utter insanity, but after two and a half hours, you will feel like you have been on a days-long Adderall trip.
REEL FACTS
• Marty Reisman, New York City’s Junior Table Tennis Champion in 1946 and 47 and U.S. Singles Champion in 1958 and 1960 who eventually won five bronze medals at the World Table Tennis Championships, took up the sport as a child to control his crippling anxiety. Known for his flashy moves, quick wit and showmanship, Reisman died in 2012 at the age of 82 from lung and heart issues, survived by wife Yoshiko, his daughter and several grandchildren.
• Marty Supreme’s Japanese nemesis is played by real-life Japanese table tennis champion Koto Kawaguchi, who, like his character in the film, is deaf.
• This is Gwyneth Paltrow’s first film role since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, and the first time having an Intimacy Coordinator on set for her sex scenes with Chalamet. Paltrow says she told her, “Girl, I’m from the era where you get naked, get in bed, and the camera’s on.” Chalamet agreed, and they asked the coordinator to stay back.
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