Marty Supreme | Film Musings

There’s a long believed proverb that what’s meant for you won’t pass you by. However, this stance assumes that destiny has been predetermined by a higher power. It doesn’t take into account that some of us are chasing a self-decided destiny that will indeed pass if you allow it to. Introducing…Marty Mauser.

Marty, played by Timothée Chalamet, is a talented table tennis player with an unwavering belief that he is the best player in the world and will become the face of the sport. His undeniable talent is maybe the only truth that Marty holds. In our journey from the opening sequence to the closing credits, we learn that Marty is a con-man at best, a fully fledged criminal at worst. The only redeeming quality Marty holds is that he’s in pursuit of fulfilling his alleged destiny at any cost. Unfortunately, the cost of his delusions of grandeur are completely out of budget for his penny pinching reality. So what does he do about it, you may ask? The only logical action for a narcissist chasing a self-appointed destiny with an expiration date — lie, cheat, and steal until the dream is a reality.

We’re used to rooting for an anti-hero, but Marty is a complete villain in his story and the story of the countless others who become collateral in his path. To Chalamet’s credit, he made an incredibly charismatic villain. He’s a natural salesman, selling the promise of his talent to anyone who will listen. His confidence (read as arrogance) in his abilities is so strong that once he arrives at the championship, he cons a VIP stay at the Ritz, orders the finest meals money can buy, and attempts to seduce a former Hollywood actress with expensive gestures. Remember when I said he had a penny pinching reality? Yeah…that’ll come back up.

Even though he’s objectively a bad person, you still held your breath as he approached every match of the world championship hoping that he takes the W and makes good on his endless promises thus far. Unbeknown to him, Japan has entered the chat with a player that will keep Marty from fulfilling his destiny. Koto Endo wins the tournament and becomes the pride of his country. Marty Mauser loses the biggest match of his life and resorts to a short tour of halftime trickshots with the Harlem Globetrotters. With so much riding on this championship – a job, financial security, his reputation to name a few — coming home a loser wasn’t a part of the plan. And with this loss, he has to face the consequences of his actions, including armed robbery of his uncle’s shoe store and fathering a child (which also occurred in said shoe store). Our protagonist isn’t going down without a fight, he just needs $1500 to get to Japan for the next world championship. His attempt at reclaiming his fate takes us on the most hilariously frustrating rollercoaster for the rest of the film. No one enters Marty’s story and leaves unscathed, but let’s take a deeper look at a select few.

Odessa A’Zion – Rachel

We first meet Rachel, played by Odessa A’Zion, in the opening sequence of the film. She innocently enters the shoe store to ask her previous sales associate Marty about a pair of shoes she believes she left in the store. In just a few moments we learn just how familiar she and Marty are with each other as their sweaty bodies are pressed up against a wall of shoes. What can go wrong with some basement backshots? Welp…8 months later, we found out. When we see Rachel again, we find out a couple of things: She is heavily pregnant (not by the husband that we didn’t know existed a few scenes prior) and she’s a liar. Marty is on the run from the law, runs into her pet store and is so self-involved with his own drama that he doesn’t notice her huge baby bump. He immediately and vehemently denies responsibility which shocks Rachel, but her tears are short lived as she has to quickly come up with a lie when her husband barges in the pet store and questions the pair.

You would think this betrayal would be enough for her to leave Marty alone, but that would be too predictable of a film. No. Rachel launches full send on her own lying arc to get Marty back in her arms, including faking being domestically abused to win his sympathy. She then joins him in the next round of cons to get money and housing, all of which go worse than expected but somehow strengthens their bond. A’Zion plays the distressed damsel role so well I would’ve never suspected that it was all an act. Imagine our surprise when Marty goes to dry her eyes and learns that her bruises can be washed away with a makeup wipe.

One thing that can’t be wiped away is Rachel’s deep love for Marty. Even after he banishes and demeans her, she still believes in his destiny and wants to help in whatever way she can to get him the money he needs. Including putting herself in harm’s way to pull off their previously failed con. Spoiler alert, she fails again and is now kidnapped. Marty learns of her capture and goes against his selfish nature and follows instructions to make his way back to her. Rejoined at gun point, they narrowly escape death but not before Rachel is hit with a stray bullet. But even with a bullet wound and her unborn baby’s life in danger, she still wanted to make sure that Marty stole the money that would get him on the flight to Japan. This is when we learn that Marty really does care for her deeply because he doesn’t have the heart to tell her that the money they risked their lives for was just a mere couple of dollars. He gets her to the nearest emergency room where she’s rushed to surgery and leaves her to go to Japan. But for all the hopeless romantics out there, don’t worry, the modern day Bonnie and Clyde get a somewhat happy ending. The first stop he makes after leaving Japan in both triumph and disgrace is to get back to her and the baby, whom he now proudly claims to have fathered. Probably the only 2 people in the world that have his back right now.

In between a chaotic trail of bathtubs falling through ceilings, failed hustles, arrests, gang fights, affairs, and fatal accidents, we also get some stellar performances from Tyler, the Creator as Wally and Gwyneth Paltrow as Kay.

Tyler the Creator appeared on screen as Wally — a taxi driver, fellow table tennis player, and hustler. We see Tyler showcase both a comedic and dramatic range as his character joins in Marty’s quest to hustle up enough money to pay for the tournament, but ultimately ends up costing Wally his stable livelihood. Gwyneth’s portrayal of a fallen starlet looking for a second chance at fame and a thrilling affair with a loser was both endearing and hilarious!

So…did Marty ultimately win in Japan? In a match that doesn’t count towards any official records, yes. After swallowing his pride, being humiliated, escaping arrest, death and social ruin, he risked it all to beat the world champion in an exhibition match in front of the whole country. 

Back to the title question of this article, was Marty destined or delusional? Depends on who’s answering. For him, this unofficial victory gives credence to the truth he’s been proclaiming all along: He was destined to be the best player in the world. If you were to ask any member of the carnage he created in pursuit of this purpose, they’d all claim to be casualties of his delusion and lies. The choice is yours.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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