Why Marty Supreme Proves The Timothée Chalamet Haters Wrong Once And For All

Warning: This article contains Spoilers About “Marty Supreme”.

Where were you when the great Timothée Chalamet debate arrived? Was it on the heels of his shockingly honest speech at this year’s SAG Awards, when he declared that he was “striving for greatness”? Maybe it started early, around the time he decided to capitalize on his large IP franchise segment and lead a musical intro to “Wonka.” (I know that definition technically covers “Dune,” but c’mon, an “unadaptable” adaptation of a Frank Herbert novel by Denis Villeneuve doesn’t sound like a “cash grab.”) Heck, there’s probably someone who still has a bone to pick with the kid after Luca Guadagnino finished “Call Me By Your Name” with five straight minutes of nothing but Chalamet crying his little eyes out.

No matter when the first shot was fired in this online war, the result was the same: the rising talent known as “Timmy” simply became someone you loved or hated, with very little compromise. Neither “Lady Bird” nor “Little Women” managed to sway anyone from side to side, let alone minor roles in “The French Dispatch,” “Don’t Look Up” or even “A Complete Unknown,” where his obligatory resume box was waiting to be checked. Perhaps he was always destined to be a lightning rod, always working with the best of the best directors of all time, but he is doomed to endless guessing about whether or not he is. truly movie star or not.

That is until Josh Safdie gave him the role of a lifetime in the movie “Marty Supreme.” From this point on, it may be the dividing line. Remember this day, guys, because it was the day that Timothée Chalamet’s doubters were proven wrong once and for all.

“Drama is very important to me. I can’t undermine drama,” Marty Mouser declared early in “Marty Supreme.” A relentless New York City hustler with an annoying mustache and an even more obnoxious bravado, the rising table tennis star couldn’t have felt like a more fitting role for Timothée Chalamet’s haters. Whether you buy into the idea that one man’s marketing campaign for his latest lead role was performance art, deliberately boosting Marty’s self-confidence, what is clear is that this aggressive PR strategy has blurred the lines between performer and person. Where does one end and the other begin? More importantly, is it actually happening? topic?

Marty Supreme argues that there is nothing more pure than giving oneself over to a lifelong ambition—and nothing more destructive, either. Of all the layers of façade that make up the web of contradictions that is Marty Mouser, his passion for success at table tennis is unquestionable. However, what is equally undeniable is that he will corrupt every one of his friends, family, business partners and lovers along the way, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. Not that Chalamet himself has come close to doing so, mind you. In fact, his greatest ‘sin’ up to this point had been daring to admit that he wanted to become a master of his craft – how dare he!

While his antics on his press tour may seem off-putting to traditional movie fans, die-hard sports fans (of all people) can understand this motivation. In order to be the best, one must act like the best. They must claim it, manifest it, will it into existence, if that is what it takes. Who embodies this better than Chalamet?

While Josh Safdie is known for his films that tend to feel like drawn-out anxiety attacks, the real magic of Marty Supreme is his ability to let Chalamet dominate the screen. If “Dune” hasn’t already made that clear (and we can say that both films have), there’ll be no doubt anymore: Chalamet is a bona fide movie star, and there are dozens of moments in Marty Supreme that prove it.

Look no further than the way the camera is practically in love with his face. An easy example is the reference to Marty repeatedly (and believably) charming the pants off of Gwyneth Paltrow’s faded movie star, Kay Stone, but that hardly does justice to the performance other than the crackle of electricity. There’s his lingering look of disgust and self-loathing directed at a circus performer seal. Or the breathtaking hypocrisy when he berates his lover Rachel (also a wonderful Odessa Azion) for having no purpose in life and making things up as she goes along. Or his impossibly arrogant delivery of “This doesn’t even enter my consciousness” when Kai simply challenges him contemplation to fail.

But what really seals the deal is another crying scene at the end of the film — this time, when Marty sees his baby boy for the first time. Within just a few seconds, every coping mechanism and bit of undeserved self-confidence vanishes. In its place is a mixture of something completely different: love, horror, and maybe even a little shame. But, more than anything else, there is a new conviction in success. If we see this moment highlighted at the 2026 Oscars, the truth will be there for all to see. Chalamet was made for this moment, and there is no longer any controversy about it.

“Marty Supreme” is now in theaters.