On December 25, 2025, the new Josh Safdie film, “Marty Supreme,” was released to millions of eager fans. The notoriously well-marketed film kept many curious to see if Timothée Chalamet had finally achieved his goal of becoming one of the greats.
The comedy film portrays an ambitious ping-pong player and his invigorating journey towards the international ping-pong championship. The movie begins with life, portrays life, and in the end leaves audiences not asking themselves what they are willing to do for greatness, but what it truly means to be great.
Chalamet’s performance is certainly impressive. On January 11th, Chalamet won his first Golden Globe for best performance by a Male Actor in a motion picture-musical or comedy.
But compared to other 2025 box office giants, “Marty Supreme” comes up short.
This film doesn’t have the same deeply personal narrative Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” perfects. It also lacks the stout message Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” portrays through a creatively sarcastic narrative.
No one can deny that “Marty Supreme” is a good movie. The wonderful performances from Odessa A’zion and Tyler Okonma brought it to the next level. The side characters these actors played added to the plot just as much as Chalamet’s character did. Odessa A’zion’s character Rachel Mizler, parallels Marty and eventually provides the overarching idea of the movie. Tyler Okonama or better known as Tyler the creator, added another complex character that brought out a different side of Marty.
The extremely well written dialogue shocked, humored, and scared audiences all at the same time. But there is something missing from the film that may have been replaced by fifteen extra minutes of thrilling adventures. Towards the end of the film, the shell shock of Marty’s journey dragged on for just a little longer than it needed too. This small mistake may have hurt the film.
Although the film may not necessarily be the best, there is no doubt that it has sent Chalamet further into stardom. He may deserve an Oscar, but “Marty Supreme” may not.
