“Everyone who is interesting has something to hide.”
- Ed Alzate
I went to see the new movie, Marty Supreme, yesterday. I'd been anxious to see it since it's release on Christmas day. There's been a real buzz about it, if you pay attention to such things, which I do. Sometimes the buzz will let you down, though. Fortunately, not this time. It's a wild ride.
If you're not familiar, the movie is loosely based on the life of a table tennis champion named Marty Reisman. Set in 1952, the film is about the the fictional character, Marty Mauser, trying to become the champion of the world in table tennis, ping pong to you and me.
The fictional Mauser is played by Timothy Chalamet. Mauser's selfish ambition and single-mindedness in his quest for greatness leaves his life and those he comes in contact with, friend and foe, in shambles. We probably shouldn't like this guy, but somehow as the story goes along, we end up pulling for him, or at least I did. I think Timothy Chalmet's charisma and acting chops are what accounts for that. I can't think of another actor that could do it.
There are countless reviews on line to read about the strengths and weaknesses of the film. I won't go into my opinion of those other than to say that for me Timothy Chamalet is a once in a generation acting talent. I first noticed him in Ladybird, a favorite movie of mine. He had a small role as a bad boy love interest, but his screen presence was magnetic; the kind of presence you see occasionally and say to yourself, “Who is THAT guy?” Of course, his depiction of Bob Dylan in last year's A Complete Unknown was, for me, astonishing. It was so powerful it actually made Kendra care about Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan himself couldn't do that. So there you go.
Chalamet is the reason I wanted to see Marty Supreme so badly and he's the main reason I'm glad I did. I think I'd see him in about anything he did…except a super hero movie. I'm not doin' that.
From the soundtrack: