Marty Supreme

 

Marty Supreme

Marty Mauser is a world-class table tennis player. Despite his relentless ambition for his sport, he is completely reprehensible. He lies, steals, and abandons his pregnant childhood girlfriend. To further his career, he is willing to be humiliated and throw a match.

 All this said, Timothee Chalamet brilliantly plays this character. Chalamet never eases up on Marty’s intensity. His portrayal of Mauser makes him unlikable. He is an apex conniver.

The cast is fantastic. Gwyneth Paltrow came out of retirement to play Kay Stone, a faded, retired actress, a bit past her expiration date. Stone and Mauser have a sexual liaison, but it is devoid of love. He uses Stone as a means to an end. She desires someone other than her husband. Their relationship is transactional.

Her husband, played by Kevin O’Leary, known as Mister Wonderful from the TV show Shark Tank, delivers a fantastic performance. His character as Milton Rockwell is a pen magnet who shifts from being a potential benefactor to Mauser’s tormentor. He takes pleasure in humiliating Mauser. O’Leary is quite comfortable as an actor.

Odessa A’zion, Racheal Mizler, is Marty’s very pregnant girlfriend. Staying in character, Marty denies being the father. She wants to leave her husband, but Marty is not a safe harbor.

Some members of the cast are eclectic. Besides Kevin O’Leary, there are other non-traditional actors. John Catsimatidis, who owns Gristedes and D’Agostino, plays a businessman. There is also Issac Mizrahi, the fashion designer, who plays Stone’s publicist. Penn Jillette, the magician, plays a farmer. As nontraditional actors, they gave great performances. Fran Dresher played Marty’s mother. She is an actress, but her last gig was the national president of the SAG-AFTRA actors' union. Her gravel voice is her hallmark.

The set design was impressive. It depicted New York City in the 1950s. Everything looked authentic, from the cars and police uniforms to the tenements. I can attest to their realism since this was my neighborhood back in the 50s.

Timothee Chalamet won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, so he has strong odds for an Oscar.