REVIEW: MARTY SUPREME

4/5

Supreme Clientele 

150 Mins. Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara & Fran Drescher. Screenplay: Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie. Director: Josh Safdie. In: Theatres.

Madness in movies has never been done quite like how the Safdie Brothers do in the anxiety attack classics 'Good Time' and 'Uncut Gems'. The New York brethren, becoming the new Cohens in the process, with their cinematic capsules for the canon. But just like the 'No Country For Old Men' and 'The Big Lebowski' directors, these brothers are taking a brief break from each other to see what they can do all on their own. Still lighting up the best studio in cinema, A24, with inspired instant classics. All for good sport and nerve-shredding entertainment in a tableau of human horrors even King couldn't conjure up. First, in-between making movies with 'Gem' Adam Sandler ('Happy Gilmore 2') and Christopher Nolan ('The Odyssey'), Benny Safdie gave us 'The Smashing Machine' with The Rock, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, whose character refused to shake his hand in 'Oppenheimer's' most outstanding moment. And now, Josh Safdie serves up the instantly iconic 'Marty Supreme'.

Ping-pong. Imagine making a movie out of all that. And that's exactly what Josh does with fellow screenwriter Ronald Bronstein ('Frownland'), who co-wrote the brother's previous pictures. Truly thrilling table tennis scenes set this game and match up, but how will this movie get paddled bums in seats, especially over the holidays? Two words for you, Timothée Chalamet. The 'Call Me By Your Name' and 'Dune' franchise face is 'Marty Supreme'. And coming in the same calendar as his Academy Award nominated 'A Complete Unknown', he truly wins as the best actor in the game. And get those envelopes ready, because this may even be better than his turn as Dylan. Timmy told us he wanted to be one of the greats. And now, from a 'Beautiful Boy', to 'Bones And All', he really is, in your best Karl-Anthony Towns voice, watching the New York Knicks from courtside at Madison Square Garden with the great Ben Stiller (and you know they're just cooking something up, like having a bite after the game in NYC's Hell's Kitchen). Supreme, supreme, like Talib Kweli and Mos Def.

Josh Safdie knows how to put Timmy Chalamet through the ringer, like fellow generational great Ari Aster does Joaquin Phoenix ('Eddington', 'Beau Is Afraid'), who Timothée recently dubbed, "the weird GOAT." All for an almost 'Avatar' like runtime of fire and ash. Set to the nostalgic tune of a stunning score from Daniel Lopatin (OPN, Chuck Person). And with 'Marty', very loosely (because a lot of crazy s### happens here) inspired by the life of American table tennis player Marty Reisman and his 1974 autobiography ('The Money Player'), A24 now have their biggest ever four-day opening for a film. Move over, Bill Murray! This 'Wonka' is the new King of Christmas. The bespectacled wonder of Chalamet dreams big this Christmas as one of the National Board of Review and American Film Institute's top ten films of the year. Just being called in to the line of 2025, with a couple of Golden Globe nods to its name. Inspired by Paul Newman in 'The Hustler' and 'The Color Of Money', Chalamet's complete performance, blood, sweat and earned tears, has drawn comparisons to Pacino in 'Dog Day Afternoon' (my favourite movie). And after being reduced to paddling around with a walrus at the halftime show for the Harlem Globetrotters, sees him trying to get to Tokyo for a revenge match against a Japanese player that spanked him in London...HARD!

All through lost dogs, affairs with Hollywood actresses and the best hustles you've seen in cinema. Gwyneth Paltrow gives her best in years, and the intimacy coordinator a hard time, as a fading starlet, the kind this amazing actress is anything but. Bringing boldness to this picture, like rising star Odessa A'zion ('I Love LA', 'Hellraiser') and fellow legend, Fran Drescher. But everyone owns their screen time here, from dog owners to orange ping-pong designing wizards. The kind you see in perfect promotion at the creative Sphere in Las Vegas. Tim standing atop, all before distributing 'Supreme' jackets, as sought after as the clothing brand of the same name, to the best of the best, like Susan Boyle. Canadian Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O'Leary is on business and provocative filmmaker Abel Ferrara ('The Driller Killer', 'King Of New York') will leave you not knowing what hit you, like a bathtub out the ceiling. But standing next to Timothée, it's Tyler Okonma, AKA top hip-hop star, Tyler, The Creator, who really taps the glass, acing his acting assignment in his own amazing year. This smashing gem really is a supreme, uncut classic. The flyest Marty yet. TIMOTHEE DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'Uncut Gems', 'The Smashing Machine', 'A Complete Unknown'