Parents' Guide to Marty Supreme

This drama is a technical, visual, and acting feat that gets bogged down by a main character who's as charming as he is deceitful. Marty Supreme boasts a stellar performance from Chalamet, who manages to make a repellent character just palatable enough, at least for the film's first act. There's something initially refreshing about the young table tennis phenom who's convinced that he's destined for Wheaties-box fame and fortune. Marty knows his worth, even if proving it means lying, stealing, and cheating his way forward—but his appeal falters as the movie proceeds. The supporting cast also delivers excellent work, though Fran Drescher and Tyler Okonma are underused as Marty's manipulative mother and his only discernible real friend, respectively. Jack Fisk's midcentury production design and Miyako Bellizzi's costume work are standout elements, especially Bellizzi's gowns for Paltrow. Daniel Lopatin's anachronistic score works memorably with the 1950s setting, though the use of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a bit too on-the-nose.

Like Josh's brother Benny's The Smashing Machine, this is a sports drama about an overconfident but deeply flawed athlete spiraling after unexpected losses and a series of self-inflicted wounds. But where Smashing Machine's Mark Kerr inspired empathy, Marty Mauser tests viewers' patience and goodwill. It's not an overstatement to say that some viewers might find themselves rooting for his opponent during the climactic match. That discomfort feels intentional, forcing audiences to confront how often charisma and talent excuse Machiavellian means. Marty Supreme may frustrate some and delight others, but, either way, it lingers, subverting the traditional sports underdog story.