Marty Supreme

Director: Josh Safdie
Starring: Timothée Chalamet. Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, Luke Manley, Emory Cohen, Larry Sloman, Ralph Colucci, Géza Röhrig, Koto Kawaguchi, Pico Iyer, John Catsimatidis, Sandra Bernhard, George Gervin, Ted Williams, Penn Jillette, Isaac Mizrahi, David Mamet, Fred Hechinger, Levon Hawke, Phillipe Petit
Running Time: 150 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)     

The biggest surprise to come out of Josh Safdie's semi-biographical table tennis drama Marty Supreme isn't how much is constantly happening, but the frenetic, breakneck pace at which it all occurs. In fact, there's such a dizzying abundance of side quests, odd characters and cleverly constructed scenes you'll probably need a scorecard to keep track. And that's not even accounting for the myriad of familiar faces popping up throughout, many of whom aren't actors, but various pop culture personalities who seamlessly acclimate themselves into Safdie's period specific universe. 

Full of wild excursions and sub-plots, the action revolves around a cocky, unlikable main character with a single goal: letting the world know he's the best. But he's also a liar, conman and egotistical scam artist who won't hesitate stepping over everyone as he claws and scratches his way to the top. At one point he matter-of-factly predicts he'll be on a Wheaties box without so much as a hint of irony or doubt. For him, it's all about reaching the coveted World Championships, with all of the film's creatively calamitous detours existing in the service of getting him there.

It's New York City in 1952 and shoe salesman Marty Mouser (Timothée Chalamet) is working at his uncle Murray's (Larry Sloman) shop while competing professionally as a table tennis player. On the cusp of being promoted to store manager, he's having on an affair with married childhood friend Rachel (Odessa A'zion), even as his sights remain set on playing in the British Open. But when a broke Marty can't convince his uncle to give him money for the trip, he takes drastic action, arriving at the tournament only to lose in the finals to deaf Japanese rival Koto Endo (real life table tennis player Koto Kawaguchi). 

While in London, Marty starts another affair with former actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), whose wealthy pen magnate husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O' Leary) makes him a lucrative offer to lose an exhibition match to Endo in Japan. Taking this as an insult, Marty continues touring with friend and former champion Béla Kletzki (Géza Röhrig) as an opening act for the Harlem Globetrotters until he faces a stiff ITTA fine and possible ban for his unprofessional tournament conduct. After desperately convincing taxi driver pal Wally (Tyler Okonma) to help him hustle local players for cash, chaos ensues, forcing Marty to rethink Rockwell's offer, even if that means sacrificing his integrity for cash and a chance at competing in the World Championships. 

Though Marty and Rockwell are at odds from the moment they meet, both could believably benefit from this proposed business arrangement since each are selfishly motivated by their separate desires to see the sport's popularity take off in America. For Marty, it can mean greater exposure and fame while Rockwell sees dollar signs, not to mention the opportunity to exploit a brash young punk he'll tolerate just long enough to get what he wants.  

While the title character is loosely based on late table tennis champion Marty Reisman, that's where most of the similarities between reality and fiction end, with Safdie concocting a heightened version of the actual person and using the period setting as his primary inspiration. Ironically enough, the very idea of a scripted corporate sponsored exhibition match might be the film's timeliest aspect considering how often these pre-determined corporate sports events are still held, sadly demonstrating the almighty dollar's ability to override the thrill of competition. 

Marty's discomfort with throwing a match for money and his undeterred tenacity could be seen as the aspiring champ's only redeeming qualities. It's just too bad he keeps using every friend and family member who helps him, whether that's his uncle, mother (Fran Drescher), girlfriend or even total strangers he encounters along the way. And yet despite sleeping with Rockwell's morose, frustrated wife and insulting his late son, he still manages to come across as the ultimate underdog in comparison since their power dynamic is so severely unbalanced. 

Under different circumstances, Rockwell could be considered a somewhat sympathetic character for putting up with Marty, but since he's played by Shark Tank's "Mr. Wonderful" Kevin O' Leary in his acting debut, there's little chance of that. Safdie transposing TV's most recognizably greedy capitalist into the 1950's is a masterstroke, mainly because he's unsurprisingly great at adapting his own outsized persona into such an environment. In actuality, O'Leary goes a few layers deeper, like when delivering Rockwell's metaphorical vampire speech, claiming to have met and destroyed countless Martys over his lifetime. We believe him, just as we recognize how the thought of working with the Japanese who killed his son hasn't ever entered his mind. It's just business.

Marty also knows a lot about compartmentalizing, having screwed and backstabbed to finance a trip that may not even happen unless the idea of consequences start sinking in. His worst behavior comes out in the film's exhilarating middle section when endless scheming unleashes a crazy chain of events involving a mobster (Abel Ferrrara), his missing dog, a gas station fire, a trigger happy farmer (Penn Jillette) and a thwarted venture with hapless friend Dion (Luke Manley) involving orange table tennis balls ("spheres'). And Safdie somehow manages to have it all converge, leading Marty to his lowest point, abandoning a very pregnant Rachel to follow his dream at the worst possible moment.

If Marty's no prize, neither is retired actress and Rockwell's trophy wife Kay, who fills the void of her monotonous, miserable existence with this younger man. While Paltrow's casting could have similarly come across as a stunt, she delivers some of her most memorable work following what's been a nearly seven-year acting hiatus. There's this cold sadness to Kay, who sleepwalks through life without so much as a smile until Marty briefly reignites in her a spark to perform again. It's a strictly physical relationship of convenience for both until they actually start spending time with each other and realize just how bad an idea it is. Or at least she does. 

If O' Leary proves how often non-actors can add dimensions of authenticity, this also extends to the smaller supporting roles and cameos Safdie uses to fill the corners of his world. Hardly a scene passes where there isn't some recognizable face, even when it takes a minute to place them. Whether it's Ferrara, Jillette, Tyler, the Creator, internet personality Manley, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, writer/director David Mamet, "Man on Wire" Phillip Petite, billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis or "The Man with the Golden Voice" Ted Williams, their presence helps make everything feel a little more real. Far from a distraction, it further draws us in, while Jack Fisk's production design and Miyako Bellizzi's costuming handle much of the heavy lifting. 

Though he's constantly scrapping by, we're given fleeting glimpses of Marty's loyalty buried beneath the bravado. But even when he's right, he still manages to express himself so arrogantly that no reasonable person would bother sticking around to listen. These are only a few of the contradictions a brilliant Chalamet brings to a character audiences won't necessarily like, but find complicated and complex enough to warrant redemption. Since there are numerous ways to read the ending, it's not entirely clear whether he gets it, leaving us with something that might appear to resemble a smidgen of growth, depending on your interpretation.   

Being recognized as champion is Marty's answer to everything, even if he can't help but let his pride and insecurity get in the way. No one wants to willingly help an abrasive jerk so he manipulates whoever he encounters, constantly failing upwards to reach the next level. But over the course of the story you sense he's resorting to those tactics out of pure survival instincts rather than any calculated plan. It's just who he is. And since having heroic protagonists shouldn't be a prerequisite, a certain comfort comes from knowing Marty won't ever be mistaken for one, making his twisted, energetic journey that much more exciting.

Uncut Gems

Directors: Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie
Starring: Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch, Keith Williams Richards, Jonathan Aranbayev, Noa Fisher, Abel Tesfaye, Mike Francesa
Running Time: 135 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

In the Safdie brothers' crime thriller Uncut Gems, a new bar is set for unlikable, self-destructive protagonists, as Adam Sandler's jeweler and gambling addict Howard Ratner proves incapable of encountering any situation he can't make worse by lying, cheating, screaming, swearing or scamming. Whether it's his own family, celebrities or employees, they're all forced to just look on with annoyed exasperation at his antics, which demonstrate the lowest levels of self-control and human decency. It's nearly impossible to turn away from the wildly entertaining train wreck that is Howard's life, with its awfulness and unpredictability escalating with each passing scene, culminating an almost unbearably tense finale.

Heralded as the return of Sandler to what's increasingly become one of his rare "serious" roles, this dramatic departure really can't be listed alongside other his other excursions like Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me, even as it surely will. The draw in those was seeing the actor dialed way down, while this feels more in line with his recognizable lunacy. But the huge exception this time is the unusually high quality of the Safdies' darkly comic material, which channels those qualities into dramatic strengths rather than exploiting them for cheap gags or toilet humor.

Reconciling the two Sandlers has always been a tricky proposition, both for fans, and possibly for him, as the disappointing box office receipts for his more challenging efforts have frequently found him crawling back to the familiar safety of mainstream low-brow comedies. You could say it's for the money, or maybe even the emotional exhaustion of putting himself out there only to find audiences just want the hits. That's why this feels like the ultimate compromise that should please both camps while successfully litigating the many facets of Sandler's onscreen persona. And yet, the picture remains extremely polarizing, so far out there in its delivery that it's as much an ordeal as an experience.

After a brief flashback to 2010 where a group of Ethiopian miners retrive a rare black opal stone in an African mine, we jump forward two years later to the KMH jewelry store in New York City's Diamond District, as owner Howard is struggling to pay off his gambling debts. Still owing $100,000 to loan shark brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian), his relationship with estranged wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) has crumbled in the midst of his ongoing affair with jewelry store employee, Julia (Julia Fox). But when Howard's associate Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) brings Boston Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett (playing himself) into the store to shop, that rare African black opal arrives.

As Howard makes plans to put the special stone up for auction, Garnett becomes almost hypnotically captivated by the gem, insisting to hold on to it for good luck in his game before giving a reluctant Howard his 2008 Championship ring as collateral. But after pawning it to place a six-way parlay bet on Garnett's game performance, Howard's troubles really start, as Arno and his hired bodyguards are coming to collect. Discovering it may be more complicated than he thought to get the opal back from Garnett, Howard makes plans to place another huge bet that would turn his fortunes around. But with the clock rapidly ticking on his chaotic personal and professional life, it won't be easy.

While it isn't completely inaccurate to label to label this a dramatic crime thriller, there are plenty of laughs stemming from Howard's inability to read people and situations, almost obnoxiously bulldozing forward toward what he always believes will be certain success. He basically digs this huge hole for himself, inexplicably keeps digging in hopes of a turnaround, and ends up in a far worse position than he started in. The pattern repeats more than a few times, which is unsurprising given his gambling addiction, but Sandler keeps finding new ways to make it compulsively watchable with an unhinged performance that grips you right from the start and doesn't let go until the credits roll.

The jewelry store itself, with all its cramped chaos and malfunctioning security doors, feels like a powder keg primed to explode from all the nervous tension within, providing the perfect visual and atmospheric metaphor for the wheeling, dealing life of its owner. But fast-talking "Howie," with his schmoozing and empty promises, meets his match in Garnett, who's used to getting what he wants when he wants it. That's par the course for his celebrity clients, but the exception here being the value of this rare stone and Howard's obsession with leveraging it into a huge gambling opportunity destined to end badly just based on the number of people he's screwing over.

Seemingly everyone but Howard can sense his toxicity and uncontrollable temper, which sabotages every potential transaction, business or otherwise. You haven't seen anything until witnessing Howard attack a pre-fame The Weeknd in a club bathroom, trying to bribe his bookie, Gary (Mike Francesa) with a watch or manipulating his father (Judd Hirsch) to bid for him at an auction. If it's easy to believe that just the chance to appear alongside Garnett, The Weeknd and Francesa in a sports-related project was one of Sandler's main motivations for taking the part, we can at least take solace in the fact this is one of the more successful examples of outside celebrities being seamlessly incorporated into a film.

And in the case of Garnett, it's even better than that, with him adding a legitimacy that couldn't have come if they used a fictitious player or had another actor step in.  It just makes the proceedings feel real, especially when he goes toe-to-toe with Sandler in a handful of intense scenes. But the tragedy in Howard's story comes not from his interactions with sports figures and business associates like Lakeith Stanfield's wildly mercurial Demany, but his mistreatment of his estranged wife and kids and a stone-faced brother-in-law who's been burned by his relative so many times he's essentially had to resort to hiring hitmen to scare him into paying.

But what emotionally lands the hardest is his relationship with Julia, since it's the only aspect of his life where he doesn't appear to playing some kind of short con game. Julia Fox really gives a break-out performance as the feisty girlfriend who stands by him unconditionally, at points making us wonder if there really is more to this guy than weasely bluster, since their quieter moments is when he acts and appears most human, approaching something that almost nearly resembles likability. Of course, he manages to somehow mess that up too, leading to a scene where everything hits Howard at once, bloody and collapsing in ball of tears in his office chair being consoled by the only person left who cares. After all this guy's done, that Sandler can wring out empathy for this guy and have us rooting for his victory is a testament to how many gears he truly has as an actor, and a reminder how infrequently we've seen him display it.

That Sandler has the Safdies as directors sure helps, with them taking an unusually frenetic approach to this kind of material, with oddly effective choices that elevate both Sandler and the script. Between the breakneck editing pace and Daniel Lopatin's ambient, electronic score that seems to jarringly contrast with the picture's unnerving tone, there's really nothing quite like it. And it's capped with a literal and figurative buzzer beater of a finale that has Howard doubling down on his very worst tendencies, so optimistically smitten by his own hype that he can't see the many horrible ways his big bet can go wrong, this time with a participatory audience gathered for his self-destruction. That it bookends a film bizarre enough to open with the main character's colonoscopy should have been clue enough as to what we were getting into. But Sandler's unique take on this exhausting conman proves why each new dramatic role he tackles remains so highly anticipated. This is one of his best, even if it might be too stressful to watch again.