Josh Safdie’s unconventional sports drama is a thrilling take on a fatigued genre elevated by a stellar ensemble cast.
There are certain genres that scream “Oscar-bait” and every year multiple films emerge on the horizon in a fierce competition of who is gonna take a prestige award home and who is gonna vanish into oblivion. One of those genres is the biopic, especially the music ones. In the past 20 years over 30% of the lead acting (both male and female) category has been won for a performance portraying a real person with 5% being music related. And even when they go home empty-handed, like Bob Dylan’s “Complete Unknown” earlier this year, they still dominate a large part of the nominations in various categories, remaining a safe and easy bet on the ballot. For over a decade now there’s been a consistent release of music biopics every year, sometimes more than one, with some swimming above the surface like “Walk The Line” and others sinking miserably to the bottom like the Bob Marley one or the one about Amy Winehouse.
The sports dramas are a different breed. Industry voters seem to be slightly sceptical about them and unlike a music biopic, where its mediocrity can be hidden behind a good soundtrack, the sports drama wears its often formulaic narrative and overly sentimental hopefulness way too much on its sleeve. This year there was already one unsuccessful attempt with Sydney Sweeney’s boxing drama “Christy” as well as the divisive project of the other Safdie brother “The Smashing Machine”.
However, in the past decade there’s been a rise in movies that don’t fit in a particular category, but they could be described as “non-biopic” biopics. They often depict characters that are fictional or based loosely on real-life individuals, yet follow a slightly similar fable of “choose your own fighter” an aspiring/arrogant a) musician or b) athlete, who a) struggles with achieving acknowledgement or b) spirals into their undoing. The difference here is that when not trying to please estates and representatives who are swapping creativity for “historical accuracy” aka making their client appear not as problematic as they probably were as well as avoiding the formula “tough misunderstood child to a young prodigy to struggling artist to successful yet still lonely to downfall to the top of their game again”, you can actually make a very compelling tale that doesn’t have a bequeathed satisfying happy ending and seems genuine. We all love an underdog that gets what they deserve despite all the setbacks, but what about the other 99% who don’t make it. A pioneer in that is the Coen brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis” that follows a folksinger (Oscar Isaac) determined to be discovered, but in the end, despite all his struggles, he isn’t, which is the truth for many of not immense, but rather just of some talent. Another example, strongly embraced by the Academy, is Todd Field’s “Tár” following the frantic downfall of a famous female conductor that at the time lots of viewers speculated was based on a real person. This is where “Marty Supreme” finally comes in.
Set in gritty 50s New York, the film follows the aspiring table tennis player Marty Mauser who is eager to sacrifice everything to write his name on the hall of fame. In his pursuit of greatness he has his ethics and moral values put to the test as he steals, manipulates and even kidnaps a dog to reach his goal – funding his trip to Japan for a rematch with a worthy opponent.
The film ticks two of the upper criteria to be considered a “non-biopic” biopic. It’s vaguely inspired by the life and career of real-life table tennis player Marty Reisman and avoids following a fatigued, formulaic narrative so common for sports dramas. In fact, “Marty Supreme” is barely a ping-pong film. Just like “Uncut gems” or any of the previous Safdie projects the movie is anxiety-ridden and balances well back and forth dark comedy and explicit violence. The structure of the narrative reminded me of a saying attributed to numerous scriptwriters through the years, notably Aaron Sorkin, but specifically something the Coen Brothers discussed in connection to “Inside Llewyn Davies” about how a story is just somebody who wants something and has trouble getting it. Marty has one ultimate mission – glory and success – and the more he tries to get there, the more the story spirals into a nightmare of intense and sometimes hilarious sequences, keeping him even further away from his goal. He steals a precious necklace only to find out in a pawn shop it’s worth nothing, or him kidnapping a dog he ends up losing, but has to retrieve eventually to get a reward. That whole sense of disorientation and haphazardness reminds me of Scorsese’s “After hours” with its clueless, yet slightly unsympathetic protagonist doing everything in his capacity to get home.
Speaking of protagonists, Marty Mauser is a curious character and not the usual underdog you root for in sports dramas. Typically they’re deserving, talented and wronged by the cruel world, yet despite all the hard conditions of their situation they remain humble and positive. Marty is a product of his rough upbringing and he is no innocent and sweet, yet misfortunate talent. He’s cocky, energetic, annoying, overconfident, and frankly mediocre in his skill, but mostly he’s a hustler. ‘I’ve never talked to an actual movie star, you know, I’m something of a performer too’ is what he says to Gwyneth Paltrow’s character (1930s famous, yet faded actress) and he is. He is a manipulative and charming compulsive liar whose real face we rarely see and who never bears the consequences of his own actions, yet somehow you root for him despite all the trouble he causes to everyone around him, no matter if it’s his friend taxi driver played by Tyler The Creator or his pregnant situationship (Odessa A’zion).
Timothée Chalamet is made for this role. Rarely do we see a casting so spot on. Despite his attempts to push himself into more blockbuster waters, Chalamet once again proves he shines the brightest in more grounded and character-driven stories. He is in full control of the magnetism he utilises to disarm Marty’s opponents no matter if it’s a potential sponsor or a short-lived fling, but with his body language he occasionally smoothly slips into a “leakage” of despair and anxiety. Enthralling, the audience almost enters a toxic relationship with Marty through Chalamet’s nuanced portrayal, luring us to look past his behavior and root for his atonement.
Being A24’s most expensive film to date, it’s refreshing to see that some of those 60-70 million dollars were invested rather than in the usual VFX into the authenticity of the set design and the costume department which richness transports you into the busy streets of New York or the futuristic look of the table tennis venues (and maybe that questionable marketing campaign). The fact it’s shot on 35 mm also gives it a retro sense enhanced by the grainy texture of the camera that reminds you how bad for cinema that epidemic of Netflix lighting actually is.
The soundtrack by Daniel Lopatin is a stand out with its elevating energy, incorporating mallet strikes to mirror the bouncing of the balls that further boosts the adrenaline in certain scenes. The playlist is dominated by 80s music, with Tears for Fears featured in the closing credits, which is a curious juxtaposition with the 50s setting, but the electronic synth sound further enhances the retro futuristic aesthetic and proves “Marty Supreme” is not a typical period piece. There’s a particularly brilliant use of the song “The Order of Death” by Public Image Ltd.
The only issue is with the female characters who, it could be argued, might have been redeemed by the end. All female characters (and they’re not a lot) are very stereotypically-written for the 50s which is just a little disappointing considering the film has already built itself for being an atypical period sports drama. Mainly we focus on two female characters Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) who is a middle-aged wife that is bored with her husband she married for money and risks everything for a quick amusement. She is then cruelly used by Marty on several occasions, and the other is Rachel – Marty’s (pregnant) neighbour/situationship, stuck in a loveless marriage. At first Rachel feels more of a vessel for grounding and eventually turning Marty’s character around and feels too flat. However, there’s one scene I’d restrain spoiling that gives her a little more depth and fleshes her out as a possible counterpart of Marty. Odessa A’zion gives a very meticulous performance. If Marty is often a victim of his surroundings and upbringing, she is a victim of her time. Not only does she often reap what Marty’s sowed, but despite her resilience she can’t get away with something Marty normally would be able to, like pulling a money hustle. Her strength, however, lies in her ability to play Marty. By the end she’s not as static as she initially appears and is actively looking for ways to escape her given situation. She’s also a performer, but not out of desire like Marty but out of necessity.
It’s actually funny how little table tennis there is in “Marty Supreme”. After all, it’s not really a sports film at its heart. Josh Safdie’s visual style shines in all the ping pong scenes, paired with the soundtrack, as they feel very lively and well-lit, and serve as a great portal into Marty’s inner world and ‘performance shell’.
Overall, “Marty Supreme” is as much of a sports movie as “Challengers” is and if you go in expecting a dramatic version of the Olympics, you’d be in for a disappointment as it focuses more on the lengths of ambition and whether a goal could ever justify the means. The film is truly hilarious on some occasions, with a few very bold political jokes. With its neat script it’s really thrilling and refreshing and it makes its 2H and 30 min runtime fly by. After this movie I sincerely believe “Marty Supreme” is a strong contender for the upcoming award season and also that every iconic director duo should split at least once in their career (cough Coen Brothers cough) so you can actually tell who is indeed the supreme (no pun intended).
