When Josh Safdie’s highly anticipated solo directorial debut, Marty Supreme, hit theaters on December 25, 2025, it did so amid a whirlwind of festival buzz, viral marketing, and a star turn from Timothée Chalamet that’s already being called a career-defining performance. But what’s truly remarkable is how this 150-minute sports drama—set against the unlikely backdrop of 1950s table tennis—manages to deliver a story that’s as emotionally resonant as it is visually kinetic, all while drawing inspiration from the real-life exploits of legendary American ping-pong hustler Marty Reisman.
The film, produced by A24 and drawing crowds since its Christmas Day release, is loosely based on Reisman’s 1974 autobiography, The Money Player: The Confessions of America's Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler. As reported by Rolling Stone, the project found its spark when producer Sara Rossein stumbled upon Reisman’s memoir at a thrift store and passed it to her husband, Safdie, as a possible wellspring for cinematic inspiration. What emerged is neither a strict biopic nor a simple adaptation, but rather a bold narrative springboard—one that uses the world of table tennis as a lens to explore ambition, ego, and the messy business of growing up.
At the heart of Marty Supreme is Marty Mauser (Chalamet), a brash and often insufferable hustler who dreams of table tennis glory. The character is a fictionalized version of Reisman, whose real-life story is almost stranger than fiction. Born in 1930 to Russian Jewish immigrants in New York’s Lower East Side, Reisman grew up in poverty and discovered table tennis after a nervous breakdown at nine. According to his own account in Forbes, the game was “an escape,” and by 13, he was already the city’s junior champion, hustling matches for cash at the now-legendary Lawrence’s Broadway Table Tennis Club.
Reisman’s playing style was as aggressive as it was theatrical—his signature “Atomic Blast” forehand clocked in at a blistering 115 miles per hour. “My plan invariably was to slam and slam and make the opponent run and exhaust himself,” he wrote in his autobiography. This flamboyant approach, both on and off the table, is mirrored in Safdie’s film, where Marty Mauser’s antics swing between hilarious and infuriating, drawing the audience into his world even as his arrogance pushes those closest to him away.
The film’s opening is nothing short of audacious. Set to Alphaville’s “Forever Young,” the credits unfold with a surreal sequence that morphs from intimacy to conception to a ping pong ball, setting the stage for a journey that’s as much about personal transformation as it is about sport. Chalamet, transformed with the help of makeup artist Kyra Panchenko and special effects designer Mike Fontaine, becomes nearly unrecognizable: acne-scarred, sporting a unibrow and a wispy mustache, and clad in period-authentic garb. According to Elle, this "lived-in, raw look" was designed to reflect Marty’s tough upbringing and streetwise hustle.
The narrative quickly immerses viewers in the British Open, where Marty’s swagger and skill see him glide through the competition—until he hits a wall in the finals against Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), a formidable Japanese opponent. Marty’s defeat is crushing, but instead of learning humility, he doubles down on his stubbornness, accepting a gig as a halftime sideshow act for the Harlem Globetrotters. This isn’t just a cinematic flourish: as Defector notes, the real Reisman did indeed tour with the Globetrotters from 1949 to 1951, slicing cigarettes in half and playing with everything from bottles to frying pans in front of amazed crowds.
As Marty bides his time before the World Championship in Tokyo, he crosses paths with Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary), a slick entrepreneur who sees table tennis as a lucrative business opportunity. Rockwell’s attempts to commercialize the sport—and Marty’s own prideful resistance—inject the film with a sharp critique of capitalist interests in athletics. When asked to throw an exhibition match against Endo for entertainment value, Marty refuses, choosing instead to hustle for the funds he needs to make it to Japan.
Here, Safdie’s film channels the chaotic energy of his previous collaborations with his brother Benny, like Good Time and Uncut Gems. Marty’s schemes grow increasingly desperate, from hustling at local rec centers to attempting a bizarre hostage negotiation involving a dog. Meanwhile, Rachel Mizler (Odessa A’zion), Marty’s long-suffering partner, is pregnant—a subplot that adds emotional weight and complexity to Marty’s journey. His refusal to accept responsibility for the child or for his actions is as frustrating for viewers as it is for the characters around him.
Eventually, Marty is forced to humble himself before Rockwell and the sport’s authorities, only to be publicly embarrassed during a rigged match in Japan. Forced to kiss a pig in front of a jeering crowd, Marty hits rock bottom. But it’s at this lowest point that he finally insists on a real match against Endo, putting aside the demands of sponsors and businessmen in favor of personal pride. The resulting showdown is electrifying—and when Marty emerges victorious, it’s a triumph that matters only to him, stripped of titles and accolades but rich in personal meaning.
After the match, Marty returns to New York, not in the luxury of Rockwell’s private jet but alongside American soldiers making their way home. He heads straight to the hospital, where Rachel has just given birth to their child. In a quietly devastating scene, Marty breaks down in tears as Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” plays—a stark counterpoint to the film’s opening anthem and a fitting coda to his journey.
While Marty Supreme delivers all the thrills of a traditional sports movie, its true focus is the messy, often painful process of growing up and letting go of ego. As Rolling Stone and Financial Times both observe, Safdie’s interest was never in simply chronicling a champion’s rise, but in exploring how dreams shift and evolve—especially when confronted by the realities of parenthood and the pressures of a capitalist world. The ending leaves viewers guessing: will Marty step up as a father, or is his emotional outburst just another fleeting moment?
In the end, Marty Supreme stands as both a tribute to the real Marty Reisman’s singular life and a meditation on ambition, humility, and the unpredictable turns of fate. It’s a film that, much like its protagonist, refuses to play by the rules—leaving audiences with questions, laughter, and maybe a tear or two as the credits roll.
