Marty Supreme (2025) Dir:

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Directed by Josh Safdie, this A24 produced sports biopic sounded like it would be just another overly serious, like-for-like piece of Oscar-bait that inevitably come and go every year, swiftly forgotten after the awards season is over, but this one that looked like it might have the potential to be a little more fun than the vast majority of the other biopics churned out each year.

I loved the grainy look Safdie chose for the film - it gave it a sentimental, retro feel, which really worked for the story and the vibe that 'Marty Mauser' brought to the film. The same could also be said of the soundtrack, which balanced nostalgic hits with relevance to the story nicely, and was used very nicely, particularly in regards to the execution of the sound design, to make the ebs and flows of the story feel more euphoric or dramatic, as required.

According to Esquire, a fair amount of the events, and indeed the characters, in the film were actually fictionalised, but they all served their purpose in adding to the character and the mystique of 'Marty Supreme'. I loved how the narrative subverted expectations - what starts as an artsy table tennis film, quickly becomes so much more, all under the umbrella of a tremendously interesting and impulsive protagonist, who kept the audience and the other characters on their toes from ecclectic start to emotional finish.

Timothée Chalamet gave the performance of a lifetime as 'Marty Mauser' - one of the actor's best displays to-date, which is very impressive, considering the acclaimed body of work he has already produced. In press interviews for the film, Chalamet talked about the spirit of Mauser a great deal, and you could really feel the joy and the passion that he took into this role and then some. He was exceptional - charismatic, funny, cheeky, likable in-spite of his character's outrageous behaviour - this really was the best of Chalamet.

The supporting performance of Gwenyth Paltrow was absolutely wonderful, and gave the film some of its most genuine and enjoyable moments. She was so charming, and had a quiet composure and elegance to her that made her role feel so believable and natural. Heaps of praise should also go the way of Odessa A'zion for her highly entertaining and endearing performance in the film's other key supporting role. I adored her - she was brilliant, and had instant, undeniable chemistry with Chalamet. This was undoubtedly a star-making performance for her.

I should also talk about Kevin O'Leary superbly rotten antagonistic figure, who was excellently portrayed, and provided a perfect foil for the cheeky underdog in Mauser. Additionally, performances from both musician Tyler The Creator and Abel Ferrera also deserve at least a mention for how memorable and positive their respective performances were too.

Overall, this was an absolute delight of a film, and one that subverted my expectations completely. I came into the film anticipating a fun but fairly standard sports biopic, but came out of it having had one of my best experiences in a cinema this year. It goes to show that biopics don't have to be boring, even if this one wasn't entirely truthful. Then again, how many other so-called biopics have played with what really happened for the sake of entertainment? For my money, this one was a rocking good time, and one of the few biopics I'd happily watch again.