Marty Supreme Is a Wild Ride That Never Slows Down

A stressful, funny, frustrating, and entertaining film carried by a brilliant Timothée Chalamet performance.

You might need a lie down and a cup of coffee after watching Marty Supreme.

Plot

Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.

Good Points

• Timothée Chalamet delivers an outstanding performance

• It keeps your attention from start to finish with its momentum

• Dark humour is used brilliantly

• Odessa A’Zion

• Feels thoughtful rather than preachy

• The ending is satisfying enough while still leaving room for reflection.

Bad Points

• The pacing can drag in parts

• A few subplots don’t feel as important as the film seems to think they are.

• It’s exhausting

My Thoughts on Marty Supreme

It’s an exhausting film

I am sure most have watched Marty Supreme already, but in case you haven’t watched it yet, just be warned, don’t put it on for an easy watch, because within the first stretch you will realize it’s a film that demans attention, and you you won’t be getting away with any distractions here.

It has this constant energy to it all that by the end, you might feel genuinely a bit tired, because I know I did, as it’s a film that never seems interested in giving anyone, including those watching, a break.

So be warned.

Timothée Chalamet is ridiculously good

I have heard various mixed opinions about his performance, but I am firmly on the side of he is fantastic, where he brings so much energy he brings to the role, and while p[lenty of actors can play either ambitious, angry or charming roles, here he makes them exist at the same time.

You will laugh, you will be annoyed, and you will root for him, and while I had moments where I thought I was done with him as a character, ten minutes later I was right back on his side.

That’s not easy to pull off, especially when the character spends so much time making terrible decisions, but Chalamet keeps him pretty relatable though in some ways, despite him certainly not really being admirable or noble.

I thought he nailed the role.

The film is funny

I really did not expect to laugh as much as I did either, as watching somebody repeatedly make life harder for themselves is apparently funnier than most comedies, where the film finds a lot of laughs in desperation, bad judgement, and sheer stubbornness.

Several scenes had me laughing while simultaneously wondering why anyone would willingly put themselves through that situation, and the best part is that the comedy never turns the film into a joke, it just makes everything even more entertaining, so whenever things get tense, the humour sneaks in and makes that tension even stronger.

It’s a very difficult balance and the film handles it brilliantly.

Odessa A’Zion

Pretty much all of the cast is strong across the board it has to be said, but I want to mention Odessa A’Zion in particular, as she stands out among them all, where she gradually became one of the most important parts of the film, with a lot of layers to her performance as well, where a simple expression tells you more than a page of dialogue ever could.

Like Timothée, she also nailed it.

Work hard enough and you’re a hero - Want something badly enough and you’re inspirational.

Marty Supreme also doesn’t actually automatically celebrate ambition, which is important, because while lot of films treat determination like it’s some magical quality that excuses everything else, life, as we all know, isn’t always that simple, and this film understands that.

It simply asks a very straightforward question:

What happens when somebody becomes so focused on getting what they want that everything else starts becoming secondary?

The answers aren’t always we want to see, but the film never stops you from enjoying the ride, but it also never lets you completely ignore the consequences of what you’re watching.

The Ending Worked

The film doesnt spend time explaining itself with its ending, and nor did it stop everything to deliver a giant speech about what we’re supposed to think.

It simply presented its ideas and les you sit with them on your own thoughts, and the final section left me with mixed emotions in the best possible way.

There’s satisfaction there, there’s frustration there, and there’s even a little sadness felt tucked away underneath it all, but it’s certainly found a place in my brain afterwards, so that’s always a good sign.

Pacing

I have also read a lot of negativity about the pacing, and while the film is exhausting, for me the pacing seems to actually resemble a ping-pong match - fast without much time to breathe and look away.

I liked it that way, but I will admit it could also have easily trimmed its runtime without losing the overall effectiveness of the film.

Final Verdict

I’m a big fan of the film personally, and I was locked in from start to finish, and it’s a film i’d watch again at some point, although I might need another lie down afterwards as well.

Trailer

Directed by Josh Safdie

Written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie

Cast includes - Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher

Cinematography by Darius Khondji

Edited by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie

Music by Daniel Lopatin[2]

Running time - 150 minutes