A24’s surprise world premiere ignites the New York Film Festival as Chalamet stuns in Safdie’s $70 million ping-pong odyssey — a manic, career-defining spectacle of New York ambition.
The New York Film Festival’s surprise screening turned into one of the buzziest premieres of the year as A24 unveiled Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme — a sprawling, 1950s-set sports dramedy starring Timothée Chalamet in what critics are already calling the best performance of his career.
With its electric pace, relentless energy, and unfiltered emotion, Marty Supreme feels like a full-throttle love letter to ambition, obsession, and New York itself — the kind of chaotic cinema only Josh Safdie could make.
Following the secret world premiere at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, early social media reactions erupted with praise for Safdie’s solo directing debut and Chalamet’s magnetic turn as Marty Mauser, a scrappy, egotistical ping-pong prodigy chasing greatness in postwar New York. “Major, exhilarating filmmaking from Josh Safdie,” wrote Vanity Fair’s David Canfield. “Timothée Chalamet’s career-best performance — he was born to play this guy.”
Critics described the film as “a manic, madcap odyssey” and “a sprawling, electrifying sports epic bursting with vitality.” Next Best Picture called it “a masterful slice of organized chaos,” while others drew comparisons to Uncut Gems and Catch Me If You Can for its frenetic pacing and Safdie’s kinetic style. “To call this a sports movie isn’t enough,” one viewer noted. “This is a manic odyssey as exhilarating as it’s exhausting — Chalamet’s star power is a supernova.”
Odessa A’zion earned particular praise for her breakout supporting role, while Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler Okonma, and Fran Drescher round out the ensemble. With a $70 million budget, Marty Supreme marks A24’s most expensive production to date — and, judging by the reception, one of its boldest creative gambles.
Several reactions highlighted the film’s vibrant energy and Chalamet’s commanding range. “Safdie’s best film yet,” tweeted Diego Andaluz. “A deranged cross between Catch Me If You Can and Uncut Gems… Chalamet delivers the performance of a lifetime.” IndieWire’s Hoai-Tran Bui called it “a manic ode to New York strivers — a great New York movie,” while Anne Thompson of IndieWire added, “Safdie delivers a wild rush of nonstop adrenaline much like Uncut Gems; Chalamet’s performance could be his Wolf of Wall Street. He’ll be nominated for sure.”
Josh Safdie, who not only directed but also edited Marty Supreme, revealed during his onstage introduction that he completed the final edit at 2 a.M. the day of the screening — meaning this may not even be the film’s final cut, though it officially marked its world premiere.
Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25, just in time to shake up the holiday box office — and, if early buzz is any indication, the Oscars conversation as well.
Read some of the early reviews from X below:
Marty Supreme aka One Paddle After Another: cannot believe we got two American movies this good back to back
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) October 7, 2025
Marty Supreme aka One Paddle After Another: cannot believe we got two American movies this good back to back
MARTY SUPREME is a sprawling and electrifying sports epic bursting with vitality from the first frame to the last. Josh Safdie delivers a masterful slice of organized chaos on a larger scale he’s ever worked with before, propelling us through Marty’s relentless quest to prove to… pic.twitter.com/Ll3zrJnqEB
— Matt Neglia @NYFF (@NextBestPicture) October 7, 2025
MARTY SUPREME is a sprawling and electrifying sports epic bursting with vitality from the first frame to the last. Josh Safdie delivers a masterful slice of organized chaos on a larger scale he’s ever worked with before, propelling us through Marty’s relentless quest to prove to… pic.twitter.com/Ll3zrJnqEB
MARTY SUPREME: Major, exhilarating filmmaking from Josh Safdie. Timothée Chalamet’s career-best performance—he was born to play this guy—with a tremendous Odessa A’Zion leading a superb supporting cast. It’s a wow.
— David Canfield (@davidcanfield97) October 7, 2025
MARTY SUPREME: Major, exhilarating filmmaking from Josh Safdie. Timothée Chalamet’s career-best performance—he was born to play this guy—with a tremendous Odessa A’Zion leading a superb supporting cast. It’s a wow.
Marty Mauser may be a little shit, but MARTY SUPREME and Timothée Chalamet are irresistible – an ‘80s-styled, 50s-set sports movie with an electric score by Daniel Lopatin and an ensemble firing on all cylinders. A bit too long, but the ending makes it worth it. We have a race? pic.twitter.com/juObkEPu6L
— Dancin’ Dan in NYFFland (@dancindanonfilm) October 7, 2025
Marty Mauser may be a little shit, but MARTY SUPREME and Timothée Chalamet are irresistible – an ‘80s-styled, 50s-set sports movie with an electric score by Daniel Lopatin and an ensemble firing on all cylinders. A bit too long, but the ending makes it worth it. We have a race? pic.twitter.com/juObkEPu6L
MARTY SUPREME: yeah Josh took all that wild Safdie energy with him. To call this a sports movie isn’t enough, this is a manic, madcap odyssey that is as exhilarating as it’s exhausting. Timothee’s star power is so bright & undeniable that it’s basically a supernova. LOVED it pic.twitter.com/Nis0tWcySr
— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) October 7, 2025
MARTY SUPREME: yeah Josh took all that wild Safdie energy with him. To call this a sports movie isn’t enough, this is a manic, madcap odyssey that is as exhilarating as it’s exhausting. Timothee’s star power is so bright & undeniable that it’s basically a supernova. LOVED it pic.twitter.com/Nis0tWcySr
MARTY SUPREME is Safdie’s best film yet. A kinetic odyssey that plays like a deranged cross between CATCH ME IF YOU CAN & UNCUT GEMS. Timothée Chalamet delivers the performance of a lifetime in this unforgettable, awe-inspiring cinematic tour-de-force that fires on all cylinders pic.twitter.com/ZGrfWGNYpo
— Diego Andaluz (@thediegoandaluz) October 7, 2025
MARTY SUPREME is Safdie’s best film yet. A kinetic odyssey that plays like a deranged cross between CATCH ME IF YOU CAN & UNCUT GEMS. Timothée Chalamet delivers the performance of a lifetime in this unforgettable, awe-inspiring cinematic tour-de-force that fires on all cylinders pic.twitter.com/ZGrfWGNYpo
Marty Supreme is a pure delight. Josh Safdie takes us on a chaotic, sprawling globetrot to break down the swaggering hubris of a ping-pong prodigy who can’t being insufferable. It’s remarkable how well this works. Any doubts that Timothée Chalamet is a movie superstar are dead. pic.twitter.com/o7zC1tllGP
— Brandon Lewis @ NYFF63 (@blewis1103) October 7, 2025
Marty Supreme is a pure delight. Josh Safdie takes us on a chaotic, sprawling globetrot to break down the swaggering hubris of a ping-pong prodigy who can’t being insufferable. It’s remarkable how well this works. Any doubts that Timothée Chalamet is a movie superstar are dead. pic.twitter.com/o7zC1tllGP
Josh Safdie reapplying his UNCUT GEMS greatest hits via MARTY SUPREME but on a larger scale in a portrait of purpose post WWII. Timothée channels that CATCH ME IF YOU CAN DiCaprio and Howard Ratner and makes for a hilarious comic performance. Fun and stressful time all around. pic.twitter.com/bmJefwsxdt
— Rendy Jones (@rendy_jones) October 7, 2025
Josh Safdie reapplying his UNCUT GEMS greatest hits via MARTY SUPREME but on a larger scale in a portrait of purpose post WWII. Timothée channels that CATCH ME IF YOU CAN DiCaprio and Howard Ratner and makes for a hilarious comic performance. Fun and stressful time all around. pic.twitter.com/bmJefwsxdt
How is that Timothée Chalamet just keeps wowing me more and more with every performance? He is absolutely electrifying in #MartySupreme.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) October 7, 2025
Yet again, you can feel him giving every ounce of himself and then some – a quality this role demands. Chalamet’s Marty is a guy with a… pic.twitter.com/POXymKWKC3
How is that Timothée Chalamet just keeps wowing me more and more with every performance? He is absolutely electrifying in #MartySupreme.
Yet again, you can feel him giving every ounce of himself and then some – a quality this role demands. Chalamet’s Marty is a guy with a… pic.twitter.com/POXymKWKC3
Marty Supreme is an absolute blast of adrenaline and the follow-up to Uncut Gems we’ve been craving. Just as demented and tense, but drunk on the confidence of youth and the arrogance to believe that talent and charm is enough. As a piece of cinema it sure as hell is. #NYFF pic.twitter.com/AKGBIT6hX4
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) October 7, 2025
Marty Supreme is an absolute blast of adrenaline and the follow-up to Uncut Gems we’ve been craving. Just as demented and tense, but drunk on the confidence of youth and the arrogance to believe that talent and charm is enough. As a piece of cinema it sure as hell is. #NYFF pic.twitter.com/AKGBIT6hX4
‘Marty Supreme’ is ‘Flight’ meets ‘Coach Carter’ meets ‘Precious (based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)’ carried by Timothée Chalamet’s best performance yet. I loved it so much. pic.twitter.com/fv8Q7aHZoh
— Joe (@Joe_Calabrese) October 7, 2025
‘Marty Supreme’ is ‘Flight’ meets ‘Coach Carter’ meets ‘Precious (based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)’ carried by Timothée Chalamet’s best performance yet. I loved it so much. pic.twitter.com/fv8Q7aHZoh
