Timothée Chalamet’s comedy Ping Pong is ‘fresh, funny and delightful’

The star plays a “captivating” role alongside the “perfect” Gwyneth Paltrow in this “crazy” film about a young man who cheats and steals his way into becoming a table tennis champion.

Aside from his on-screen characters, Timothée Chalamet is one of the most accomplished actors of all time, especially when promoting a film. As for Marty Supreme, in which he played an aspiring ping-pong champion in 1952, he was actually a self-important version of himself in a parody video for a marketing meeting for the film, appearing in a pop-up store selling Marty Supreme merchandise accompanied by men with giant orange ping-pong balls covering their heads. These real-life Timmy scenarios can be either dead on or amusingly annoying, and with a lesser actor they might seep into the film. But Chalamet’s performance as Marty Mauser is so engaging that you can put his on-screen antics aside. And while his performance as Bob Dylan in last year’s A Complete Unknown was better than the film itself, Marty Supreme is as fresh, funny, and a joy to watch as his hero. He deserves to be bombarded by giant orange goods and heads.

The film is full of unexpected twists. It appears to be a sports movie, but it’s actually about Marty’s failed character. He works at his uncle’s shoe store on New York’s Lower East Side, but he won’t let anything stand in his way as he strives to compete in international table tennis. He deceives, lies, and steals from everyone, including those close to him, to get to table tennis tournaments. He is not a cliche, lovable con man, but an arrogant and entitled man. He’s not a glamorous movie star, but a scrawny young man with a pencil mustache and blotchy skin. Most surprising is that Chalamet’s on-screen charm, the character’s courage and the film’s wit are captivating even when Marty’s behavior is at its worst.

The director, Josh Safdie, also wrote the screenplay with his longtime collaborator Ronald Bronstein, loosely basing it on the story of real-life table tennis champion, Marty Raisman. Safdie is known for gritty films like Uncut Gems (2019), which he directed with his brother, Benny, and if Uncut Gems were a crazy comedy instead of a sleazy character drama, it might be Marty Supreme. They share kinetic energy and the hermetic world. Here Safdie immerses us in Marti’s working-class street of tiny storefronts, apartment buildings with apartments that need painting, and neighbors who know each other’s businesses.

Marty is of this world, but his ambition sets him apart. When he says, “I don’t drink caffeine,” that’s a wise choice for someone who is already hyperactive and moves and speaks very quickly. In the back room of the shoe store, he has quick sex with his girlfriend Rachel, who happens to be married to someone else. Odessa Azion is lively and entertaining in the role, especially when Rachel turns out to be as conniving as Marty, his ideal partner.