In His Sweaty New Movie, Timothee Chalamet Portrays a Unique Kind of Athlete. Did He Get It Right?

"Timothée Chalamet wouldn't be everyone's first thought when it comes to playing a character like Midnight Cowboy's Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a fast-talking New York hustler always on the run from the consequences of one of his scams-gone-wrong. Of course, even with his emo-heartthrob looks disguised by a ratty moustache, lank haircut, and round glasses, Chalamet's Marty Mauser has several advantages over Ratso: He's younger, reasonably attractive, not living on the street, and is blessed with an exceptional talent-in this case a gift for Ping-Pong"

"The Marty in Josh Safdie's new film Marty Supreme may be called Marty Mauser, but he is "inspired by" Marty Reisman, the dominant American table-tennis player of the postwar decades, on whose memoir The Money Player the film is loosely (very loosely) based. Although numerous characters and incidents have been invented, the titular character shares the real Marty's love of the hustle, obsession with the game, determination to be the best at it, and supreme self-belief."

"Like director Josh Safdie's previous film Uncut Gems, this is another story of a man on a mission (in Mauser's case, finding money to get himself to Ping-Pong championships abroad while evading people he owes money to and husbands whose wives he has been fooling around with), and is nothing if not kinetic, its main character perpetually in motion. It also shares Safdie's trademark love of loudness-90 percent of the scenes in Marty Supreme seem to be people yelling at each other, and, if anything"

Timothée Chalamet portrays Marty Mauser, a younger, attractive Ping-Pong prodigy and hustler driven to secure one big score. The character is inspired by table-tennis legend Marty Reisman and shares his obsession with the game, love of the hustle, and supreme self-belief. Mauser hones his skills in a gritty Broadway basement club, hustling unwary customers to raise cash for championships and evade debts and rivals. The story channels classic hustler narratives while emphasizing kinetic energy, perpetual motion, and a trademark loudness that keeps scenes charged and confrontational.

Read at Slate Magazine