Timothée Chalamet Stuns in Marty Supreme’s Ping Pong Chaos

Earlier this year, Timothée Chalamet made waves at the SAG Awards, telling a room full of actors he was chasing greatness. Some found it a bit much, others saw it as a rare bit of honesty—after all, who doesn’t want to make their mark if they’ve got the chops? That same drive pulses through Marty Mauser, the cocky ping pong whiz Chalamet brings to life in Marty Supreme. If you’ve been anywhere near socials lately, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of Mauser’s swagger, thanks to Chalamet’s oddball promo antics—think mates in bright orange headgear and those signature specs, all while he talks up his “really top-of-the-line performances” and calls Marty Supreme

“top-level shit.”

Character and Performer Collide

There’s a real blur between Chalamet and his character here. Like Mauser, Chalamet’s got the goods to back up the bravado. Mauser’s the hotshot of American table tennis, ruffling feathers by charging pricey hotel rooms to the league and putting on a show punters can’t ignore. That is, until a Japanese underdog with a new paddle knocks him down a peg—a loss he’s desperate to avenge.

But don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a sports flick. Set in 1950s New York, the film uses ping pong as bookends, but the heart of it is pure 70s-style chaos. It’s more in line with the Safdie Brothers’ tense, gritty dramas—though this time, Josh is flying solo while Benny’s off on another project. Marty Supreme follows a crafty battler, always skirting the rules, trying to claw back what he reckons he’s owed.

Offbeat Schemes and Unlikely Allies

One of Mauser’s more bizarre hustles involves a botched attempt to squeeze a dangerous gangster (played by Abel Ferrara) for cash over a missing dog—just a day after nearly flattening them both when he and a bathtub crash through a dodgy motel ceiling. From the moment Mauser returns to the States after a humiliating world tour, things go from bad to worse, with disaster after disaster dragging him further from his dreams.

Amidst the chaos, Mauser crosses paths with faded Hollywood star Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow, nailing a British accent). Stuck in a dead-end marriage to a pen tycoon (Kevin O’Leary, all cold menace), Stone is drawn to Mauser’s unshakeable confidence, even if it sometimes tips into arrogance. Paltrow, mostly absent from screens since 2015, reminds everyone why she was such a big deal in the 90s, even in just a few scenes.

Love, Loss, and Ping Pong

Odessa A’zion is a standout as Rachel, Mauser’s equally scheming love interest, desperate to escape her own loveless marriage to Ira (Emory Cohen). The two are a perfect match—both hustlers, both determined to find a way out. In a way, the film is a sneaky love story, though it opens with a close-up of Marty’s sperm racing to the finish, all set to Tears For Fears’

‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World.’

Chalamet put in the hard yards to play ping pong convincingly, and while the sport isn’t the main focus, the matches have the same pulse as a Rocky or Rudy. There’s something energising about the whole thing. The film’s world feels familiar—gritty, full of oddball casting, spiralling chaos, and plenty of sweaty blokes yelling about cash. Watching Chalamet take over the screen is like seeing a young Pacino. He’s not chasing greatness anymore—he’s nailed it.

Marty Supreme hits cinemas on December 25. For more picks, check out the rest of the Big Screen Spotlight series.