Marty Supreme
In the score for better stress-inducing obscure sports movies of 2025, it’s Josh Safdie 1, and Ben Safdie 0, as Josh’s Marty Supreme edges out Ben’s Smashing Machine. While the themes are bit repetitive if you’re familiar with their work, Timothée’s acting here is such a masterclass, and Josh’s pacing and storytelling here is so good that it carries this to nearly a 9/10. While it’s stressful, it’s also really fun, and a more poignant morale than the brothers’ super stressor Uncut Gems. As E alludes, I think Timmy C is currently running away with Best Actor from this, at least with what we’ve seen so far. At an 8.58, it currently is ZEJ’s #9 movie on the year. Must watch!
-Z
The idea of a movie about ping pong is very fun, but I actually would argue that there isn’t enough ping pong in this film. The anxiety-inducing pacing and plot are exactly what you’d expect for a Safdie brother film, which the ZEJ team seemed to agree felt a little repetitive and too familiar at times here. I wouldn’t necessarily say they need to change their style, but maybe they need to join back up again? Timothée Chalamet really brings this character to life - I can definitely see him winning Best Actor for this. I left the theater a bit disappointed, but I still would recommend seeing this!
-E
Anxiety. One word to describe a two and a half hour movie and almost anyone who sees it would agree. Chalamet puts on a master class and brings Ping Pong to the forefront. Most people will say it's definitely in the 9’s, but my issue is that those people probably haven't seen the Safdie Brothers other films. I feel like this is something that I have already seen, and despite high level acting, isn’t as good in my opinion. This will win a lot of awards and A24 needed this to keep up with Neon's recent success, but sadly I wanted more. If you get a chance this is a must see for the year though!
-J
