Watching Someone Fail Shouldn't Be So Fun

"Marty Mauser cannot stop the hustle. In Marty Supreme 's electrifying opening moments, the audience is introduced to the wiry 20-something (played by Timothée Chalamet) in 1950s New York. He's working as a shoe salesman, talking a fussy older customer into buying a fancier brand with easy confidence. Almost immediately thereafter, we learn that his boss (who happens to be his uncle) wants to make him the store manager. But Marty, a working-class Jewish kid, won't hear of it. He has a singular career goal-to become the world's best-known table-tennis player."

"Marty is vivacious, and the film around him is buzzing at the same frequency: itchy, anxious, yet unbearably exciting throughout, each minute defined by some hairpin plot turn. Not long after that raucous first scene, he arrives in London, where he prepares to compete in a global Ping-Pong tournament while complaining about the shoddy hospitality. Like his previous movies-most of them directed in collaboration with his brother, Benny-the filmmaker Josh Safdie makes what soon becomes a high-stress journey palatable by setting off with an exhilarating level of momentum."

Marty Mauser is a wiry, ambitious 20-something in 1950s New York who hustles as a shoe salesman but dreams of becoming the world's best-known table-tennis player. He rejects a stable retail promotion and pursues competitive glory, arriving in London to enter a global Ping-Pong tournament while complaining about the accommodations. Marty radiates vivacity and chaos, and the narrative maintains a breathless, careening pace full of sudden twists. The film runs about 150 minutes yet sustains exhilarating momentum, showcasing a protagonist with undeniable skill who repeatedly sabotages his own odds. Josh Safdie directs this high-stress, fast-moving sports-hustle story.

Read at The Atlantic