Review

Josh Safdie lands a major hit with Marty Supreme, a turbo-charged biopic about table tennis king Marty Reisman. The pace accelerates like a seven-set match where every ball rockets past. Tension is constant, the editing stays razor-sharp, and 2h20 flies by without a single dull stretch.

Timothée Chalamet plays Marty Mauser with astonishing energy. His command of ping-pong is staggering: he has been training for six years alongside Olympic champion Jean-Philippe Gatien, and it shows in every smash.

The women around him matter: his mother, played by Fran Drescher (yes, The Nanny!), Gwyneth Paltrow glows as Kay Stone, a jaded actress who falls for Marty’s sly charm, with impeccable comic timing; Odessa A’zion moves as Rachel, the pregnant childhood friend caught in debts and small-time schemes, her raw vulnerability cutting through the male chaos. Daniel Lopatin’s score pulses like a heart on amphetamines, amplifying the urgency.

The film also slips in a sharp look at post-World War II antisemitism, probing traumas that echo The Brutalist with Adrien Brody, where brutalist architecture becomes the backdrop for deep Jewish wounds.

My neighbor, laughing on the way out: “Did I love this movie more than my mother? Yes! More than my father? Yes, too.”

See it fast, for its blazing cast and unstoppable swing.

Film note: The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, starring Adrien Brody.

Film facts

Marty Supreme is an American sports comedy-drama directed by Josh Safdie, released in late 2025, and loosely inspired by the life of table tennis champion Marty Reisman. Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty Mauser, an ambitious, street-smart 1950s New York player ready to do whatever it takes to dominate the global ping-pong scene. The film was both a critical and commercial success, with more than $149 million in worldwide box office revenue.

Synopsis

In 1950s New York, Marty Mauser, a shoe salesman and table tennis player, dreams of winning the British Open and defeating Hungarian champion Béla Kletzki. He steals from his uncle to fund a trip to London, where he seduces an actress (Gwyneth Paltrow) and loses the final to a deaf Japanese player using an innovative paddle. Back home, he faces debts, gangs, a pregnant lover (Odessa A’zion), and a fraud ban, before a final act in Japan where he triumphs in a rematch.

Main cast

• Timothée Chalamet: Marty Mauser, a charismatic hustler inspired by Marty Reisman.
• Gwyneth Paltrow: Kay Stone, a seductive actress married to a tycoon.
• Odessa A’zion: Rachel Mizler, a pregnant childhood friend entangled in Marty’s schemes.
• Tyler, The Creator (Tyler Okonma): Wally, a taxi-driver friend and accomplice.
• Others: Kevin O’Leary (Milton Rockwell), Abel Ferrara (gangster), Fran Drescher (Marty’s mother).

Production and release

Developed since 2018 by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein from Reisman’s book The Money Player, the film marks Safdie’s first solo directing outing without his brother Benny. Shot on 35mm by Darius Khondji, with music by Daniel Lopatin, it had a $70 million budget (a record for A24). A secret premiere took place at the New York Film Festival (6 October 2025), followed by a U.S. release on 25 December 2025, and a France theatrical release in early 2026 via Pathé and Metropolitan.

France release note: theatrical release on 18 February 2026, running time 2h30.

Reception, box office, awards

Reception and box office

Acclaimed at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, praised for Chalamet’s performance (Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice for Best Actor), Safdie’s high-voltage energy (Uncut Gems-like), and Jack Fisk’s production design. Box office: $95M U.S., $54M international, an A24 record. Ranked in the Top 10 by the National Board of Review and the AFI.

Reading note: critics’ scores and box office totals evolve week by week during a film’s run, and work best as a moving indicator.

Awards

Nine Oscar nominations in 2026 (Best Picture, Director, Actor for Chalamet, etc.), eleven BAFTA nominations, three Golden Globes. Chalamet won for his explosive performance.

Real-life inspiration, Marty Reisman

Marty Reisman (1930-2012), a U.S. table tennis legend, won 22 world and national titles (U.S. Open x2, British Open 1949), created the Hardbat Championship as a response to modern paddles (including the 1952 loss to Hiroji Satoh). A flamboyant New York hustler, he inspired the screenplay through his autobiography.

More on Movie in the Air

• Josh Safdie, filmography and key references
• Timothée Chalamet, recent roles
• Biopics, when direction rewrites the legend
• Films set in 1950s New York
• A24, aesthetics, risks, records

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FAQ

Sources

• Pathé, film page (France release date, running time)
• Rotten Tomatoes, film page (scores and reviews)
• Decider, true-story background and fictionalization
• People, Timothée Chalamet’s preparation
• Deadline, box office pointers
• The Brutalist, key references (Brady Corbet, Adrien Brody)