"The origins of table tennis have often obscured its influence it was literally designed to be the diminutive form of tennis, after all. But the idea of spin first originated with ping pong; politically, it would become the thing that opened up negotiations between the US and China under Nixon. There are gestures to this in Marty Supreme, but the new film from Josh Safdie is more interested in the sport as a fixture for outcasts in the '50s Lower East Side."
"Loosely is the key word here, unless it turns out the real-life Reisman was a real piece of shit. This version, Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet), is as maddening as they come. Anyone who has seen the Safdie brothers' previous movies Good Time or Uncut Gems will recognize the template: a man who constantly makes selfish choices, every bad decision an excuse to meet a strange character and sprint through the gorgeously shot streets of New York City."
Table tennis origins and the invention of spin are noted, including its political role in US–China negotiations under Nixon. The film centers on Marty Mauser, a Jewish underdog whose single-minded desire to reach Tokyo fuels escalating transgressions. Marty betrays friends, family, and lovers while chasing cash and a championship match against Japanese rival Koto Endo. The Safdie brothers' familiar template frames Mauser as a charming yet maddening protagonist whose selfish choices drive frenetic interactions and New York street-set chases. Timothee Chalamet delivers a performance that blends charisma with self-destructive obsession, recasting famous actors as memorable dirtbags.
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