Marty Supreme (MA) – 150 minutes

It is 1952 and a struggling 23-year-old New York City hustler aspires to be the world table tennis champion.

Marty Mauser (Timothy Chalamet) is working selling shoes in his uncle’s Lower East Side store.

Marty is good at his job (he could sell snow to the Eskimos), but isn’t even remotely interested in it, even though his uncle offers him the role of manager.

Marty has bigger plans.

At a time when ping pong is hardly recognised as significant in the US, Mauser aspires to make himself front page news.

Confidence has never been an issue for him and so he high tails it to London intending to win the British Open.

Marty is not a man of subtlety or nuance.

He rubs table tennis officialdom up the wrong way when he complains about the quality of his accommodation.

Nor is he backward in coming forward when he pursues elegant, middle aged, retired movie star Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow).

The same can be said when he makes himself known to Stone’s rich businessman husband, Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary).

Only, Mauser is blindsided by Japanese table tennis player Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), who becomes a national hero.

Not done with, Marty continues his hand to mouth existence, while setting his mind to getting his own back on Endo.

But truth be told, many obstacles stand in his way, in what is a decidedly chaotic existence.

That includes dealing with his pregnant married neighbour, Rachel (Odessa A’zion), whose domestic situation has become desperate.

I have only touched on some key elements in the plot. There are many other twists and turns here.

The story is loosely based on real-life table tennis player Marty Reisman, who was the 1958 and 1960 US men’s singles champion.

Co-written with Ronald Bronstein by director Josh Sadfie (Uncut Gems), Marty Mauser reads like someone forever chasing his tail in the Wild West.

Trouble follows him everywhere and he can never live up to his own high expectations.

Timothy Chalamet gives another bravura showing as the fast-talking, reach for the stars antihero.

He talks the talk and walks the walk, ensuring Mauser manages to just make his way through scrape after scrape.

In what is a most engaging and entertaining two and half hours, that doesn’t feel anywhere near as long, Chalamet’s is one of several standout performances.

Gwyneth Paltrow shines as a woman whose marriage long ago saw better days and should know better, but is intrigued and somewhat excited by Marty’s impudence.

As the philandering Rachel, whose own marriage is under severe strain, Odessa A’zion too is captivating, showing a great deal of resilience.

Kevin O’Leary brings entitlement to his portrayal of the millionaire businessman.

I love the fact that I was never sure where Marty Supreme would head next in what is a helter-skelter ride. 

Who would have thought that a movie about table tennis could be so intriguing and dramatic, for this is a film you won’t forget in a hurry.

Sadfie, Chalamet et al deliver big time!

Rated MA, Marty Supreme scores an 8½ out of 10.