Ambition is an element of humanity that has taken us on a whirlwind journey to achieve great success, for better and for worse. It is the driving force that motivates people to climb mountains, soar into space, or obsess over winning a table tennis tournament, as it’s displayed in Marty Supreme, starring Timotheé Chamalet. The promotional tour that he’s gone on for this movie felt like the movie equivalent of what The Clipse delivered for their rollout of Let God Sort Em Out. For A24, what I can only imagine is that their ambition was to go against the grain with powerful studios and streamers fighting in the ring trying to take over each other to the point where theatres get left out of the conversation. I appreciate the efforts by all parties to get as many asses in seats for Marty’s release, because for a non-Summer-non-Comicbook-blockbuster movie, the excitement and anticipation is what people need right now, especially around Christmas when the feelings are either all the way up or down.

The Safdie Brothers have made quite a name for themselves, with their high octane, anxiety inducing titles that have garnered critical success, and I don’t expect any less from the latest effort. The cost of a dream is expensive for more than just the individual striving for higher ambitions. The emotional cost on top of the financial burden (which evidently enhances the emotional turmoil) is one that we can all relate to. Now, for the sake of cinema, there are extremes presented that don’t allow the audience to rest comfortably for too long, but that’s a metaphor for life ain’t it? That constant chase because you can’t sit still until the goal is achieved. Some know how to control it better than others, but once an idea is planted, until it’s executed, the itch is unbearable.

I just did a rewatch of Inception recently, and the scene where Cobb is walking Ariadne through their first shared dream stood out to me as I’m recalling Supreme. You never really know how a dream started, you just end up in the middle of it, and that’s how we’re dropped into Marty’s world. No real backstory, nothing truly sappy, but we have enough information to take us where we need to go, with the rollercoaster intact. My takeaway is that there are great actors in this movie, and Chalamet puts on a helluva performance, but if the overall theme is Uncut Gems: the period piece, then I feel like there’s a missing link for how this movie can truly stand out in the Sadfie filmography. Overly ambitious, narcissistic, talented individual does all that he can by slicktalking, scheming & finessing his way to a goal. He’s gambling with his life and the lives of others, loved ones or otherwise. I enjoyed the movie, but I’ve seen this movie. It was fairly predictable as it went along, although there were some shocking moments that warranted big audience reactions, and that’s fine, because it’s part of the tension & anxiety that was consistent throughout. I just didn’t walk out of it thinking that I watched something amazing. I’m glad that the marketing behind the movie is going to have people out to watch it, and to have a conversation about it, because ultimately that’s what movies are all about, and I’m thankful that we have them. Timothee has been on quite the run, and his stardom is only gonna get brighter from here, so we’ll see what the ripple effect will be to determine if he’ll truly reign Supreme.

That’s My Word & It STiXX