(***1/2)
He’s reckless and ambitious. A loser who never gives up. Born poor but has rich man dreams. Dreams he’s desperate to fulfill.1
For Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), life on New York’s Lower East Side in the 1950s is a trap. He’s been looking for a way out of his low-income Jewish American community since day one. But how? How do you escape the tediousness of working in your uncle’s (Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman) shoe store, shoving size nine feet into size six shoes? It’s gonna have to be a group effort. Friends, family, lovers and whoever will be conned. “Every man for himself from where I come from. That’s just how I grew up.”
Writer/director Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems) reteams with co-screenwriter Ronald Bronstein (Uncut Gems) to tell a story about table a tennis champ wannabe designed around a real pro, Marty Reisman, once dubbed “The Needle.” Their fictionalized Marty Mauser character, played by Chalamet, is driven by unbridled zeal. A sneaky perseverance that fuels his venture into the world of the rich and famous via a sport no one knows or respects. Who could make this stuff up? Safdie and Bronstein! They let their imaginations run wild, up and down dark alleys, through scary country homes and to world championships. Nothing gets in their way and that’s the gumption they instill in their Marty. A flake who is as deft at getting himself into wacky, unlawful situations as he as at getting out.
Marty slowly climbs the amateur table tennis ladder, hustling along the way. A slew of predicaments block his path: Jobs taken and lost. A pregnant ex-girlfriend (Odessa A’zion) married to another man (Emory Cohen). A hoodlum king (Abel Ferrera) who Marty tries to con with his friend Wally (Tyler Okonma, aka Tyler, The Creator). A sneering, dream-crushing tycoon, Milton (Kevin O’Leary). And that man’s glamorous but aging movie star wife, Kay (Gwyneth Paltrow), who alternately shades and flirts with the young hustler.
He is not deterred: “I live with the confidence that if I believe in myself the money will follow.” Marty Mauser evolves into “Marty Supreme,” an empowered vision of himself. A player who eyes a table tennis British Open championship. A chance to play the steely world champ Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi) and show the world what he’s made off.
Sports movies with unlikely protagonists trying to win are normal. Yet there’s nothing normal about the approach Safdie takes. Not the lead character, his surroundings, pure guile or inability to feel guilt. In another filmmaker’s hands, the lead would be a prick you didn’t like. You’d walk out of the theater or turn off the TV, completely unmoved. This writer/director, an innovative artist, finds ingenious ways to make the unpredictable Marty likable. He makes his life melodramatic, desires contagious and need to feel heard and respected a relatable objective. The twists and turns in this narrative, don’t always make sense. But so, what. The absurdity of it all is the film’s magic potion. Just as you think you might have had enough, Safdie’s instinctive, animated and caution-to-the wind direction blows you away. Again, and again.
Scenes of Marty running down streets of his Lower East Side neighborhood, chased by whoever he just conned, are kinetic. Seductions are romantic. Impromptu love scenes erotic. Fights wonderfully choreographed. Fortunately for Safdie’s agile, directorial style, cinematographer Darius Khondji and his prying lens can keep up with his whims. Production designer Jack Fisk designs, builds and paints tenement hallways like he lived there. Costume designer Miyako Bellizzi (Uncut Gems) clothes and veils Paltrow with grace and beauty and makes some cast member’s clothes look like they haven’t been washed since WWII.
Safdie and Bronstein have edited the footage down to two-hours and 30-minutes of a romp that has a beat so strong you could dance to it. Which brings up the musical soundtrack. Composer Daniel Lopatin (Uncut Gems) creates a great score. However, a jumpy, energetic ‘80s playlist that includes infectious tunes like Tears for Fears’ spirited chart-topping “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” feels out of place. Yes the catchy music amplifies Marty’s uncrushable spirit. But it has nothing to do with the period. Actual hit songs from the ‘50s, like Tiny Bradshaw’s “The Train Kepta-Rollin” or Leroy Anderson’s “Blue Tango” would’ve helped to evoke the era.
Every role Chalamet has had in his career was just a building block to this moment. Marty is his crowning achievement. The rebellious, electric, urban-smart character he was destined to play. The way Chalamet handles interactions with mob bosses, older women, best friends, etc. is intuitive and perfect. It’s as easy to believe his anger, fear and frustration as it is to understand his quest for success and happiness. Paltrow dampens his spirit. A’zion snares him. O’Leary humiliates the novice. The arch rival Kawaguchi challenges his mettle. While Okonma, his wingman and guardian angel, protects him.
An innovative director, deft screenwriters and a solid production team join forces. Chalamet and his supporting actors run in ways that make you want to follow them. Continuously barreling toward disaster. You’ll get caught up in this hectic whirlwind and not want to let go. If only roller coasters were this exciting.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gSuKaKcqM
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.