Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic, but you can call me by your name.

This was the year the band broke up.The Safdi Brothers went and did solo projects, which depending on who you ask, had wildly different results. I don’t know why teams break up. The Coen Brothers are stronger together, as Ethan Coen’s solo output has made that abundantly clear. While Ethan put out Drive Away Dolls and Honey Don’t, Joel fared slightly better with The Tragedy Of Macbeth. But, those three films, would be grouped at or near the bottom of the Coen Bros filmography. Similarly, Peter Farrelly did get Best Picture winner Green Book, but followed it up with The Greatest Beer Run Ever and Ricky Stanicky. Meanwhile, Bobby has flailed like Ethan, with Champions and Dear Santa. Champions is actually not a bad film, it just is not near the Farrelly Brothers output. It’s hard to look at their solo projects and say they’ll stand the test of time the same way Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, or even Kingpin, Shallow Hal, or Me Myself and Irene. So, are the Safdi brothers making the smart choice? I’ve already had my say on Benny Safdi’s The Smashing Machine, and now it is time for josh and Marty Supreme.

Based just on directorial achievement, if they stay broken up, Josh will be on the Joel Coen/Peter Farrelly side, with his work resembling more of what people have started to associate with his style. I did like The Smashing Machine, and Benny did a lot with that film in every possible way, except for shaping a solid supporting actress character for Emily Blunt. but his film lacks the sense of danger and urgency that Good Time and Uncut Gems have. Josh, if anything, is dialing it up a notch, making an even more frenetic film that is afraid to ever stop and breathe. if you have to use the bathroom, the film never stops. It doesn’t have a lull, so wear a diaper. On pacing alone, I’d give it an Editing nomination, because part of being able to maintain this pace for 149 minutes is an achievement. And, even more boldly when you realize he basically just made an epic character driven journey featuring a ping pong player.

Marty (Timothee Chalamet) is a legend in his own mind and time, but everyone is unaware. he’s possibly the greatest American ping pong player, or table tennis for those of you highbrow individuals reading this, and must convince people the sport has a legitimate future. It is a period piece,and while I kept hoping he would play against legendary ping pong player Forrest Gump, alas, Tom Hanks did not appear. Although, in a film with some truly winning casting choices, like Fran Drescher and Penn Jillette, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hanks here just to nod in some meaningful way. This is also a strong choice for the new casting category here, because everyone other than Chalamet feels like they wouldn’t normally be the first choice.

Marty then goes on this journey of finding financial backing so he can rise to fame, and bring America some championships. However, he doesn’t quite reach the peak of this Everest, and he somewhat spirals as a result. Then the film becomes about him clawing his way back, giving himself one more shot at achieving the only thing he seems driven to do or is good at. Ping Pong. the Safdi Brothers, both, seem to like people who are in a predicament of some kind, and the harder the climb out, the better. Josh never lets Timothee breathe, maintaining a manic energy the whole time. The most focused, and the longest time spent in one situation, might be the actual ping pong tournaments, where some focus is given to the concentration and skill required. I think I prefer Chalamet in last ear’s A Complete Unknown, for managing to disappear more. Here, those parallels people have drawn between Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio start to become truly evident, as Marty relies on his charm and good looks. sure, he has a fire inside him, but a lot of DiCaprio’s early work still knew he was attractive and charismatic, even if the film went into darker territories. It seemed like that was his curse. A leading man who wanted to be respected like a great character actor, yet Hollywood kept casting like they were holding up the industry. A bit of that has been put on Chalamet, even if we are living less and less in a star driven system.

If I have criticisms, it seems to be in the portrayal of the female characters in Marty’s life. he is really propped up by three women in one way or another, his mother (Fran Drescher), his sometimes girlfriend (Odessa A’Zion), and his mistress of sorts (Gwyneth Paltrow). I was initially excited for the casting of Fran Drescher, to see what Josh could give her. We don’t usually give her challenging roles, like we all assume shes only capable of being The nanny. Sadly, she’s so on the peripheral. Marty seems uninvested in her because Josh isn’t invested in her. The first time she’s mentioned, he gets a call telling him she’s headed to the hospital, which he can’t be bothered with. The final scene of the film, which culminates his entire life affirming journey, has a beat where he rounds a corner and sees his parents. This would have been yet another chance to give Drescher a moment. But to do that, the film would need to pause for that to sink in. What is a brilliant casting choice is wasted for a role written for anyone.

Then we have A’Zion, who has the meatiest of the three roles. A rising star, A’Zion continues to prove that she’s a bright talent with a future ahead of her if casting agents don’t lose focus. Marty doesn’t really seem motivated to even claim her at times, and though she gets pregnant, he also feigns ignorance as to how that could be. She’s an anchor, and he’s bouncing around like a ping pong ball. An argument could be made that she’s a doormat who is unaware that is how Marty sees her, and allows herself to go to hell and back for a man with no job or income. It isn’t a particularly strong role model, in shape, but it is what A’Zion brings to it, giving the role strength where another actress would have leaned in on the weakness. She’s easily interpreted as a victim of circumstance, and A’Zion at least plays her with enough self-awareness that she controls her destiny to some extent. Even if she’s not aware of how Marty is using her, or working around her, she’s making strong choices. Of the three supporting actresses, she has the most screentime, and makes the best case for an Oscar nomination.

But, Josh didn’t quite capitalize on his casting of Paltrow, who is a socialite, married to an extremely wealthy man who bankrolls her acting career. She plays with fire in sleeping with Marty, and there’s something about her May/December romance with Marty that is never truly made a thing. Her age could be used to discuss why she doesn’t have a gaggle of children, or regrets in that department, but she’s just here for the moment, much like Marty. If she could run as fast as him, she would, but she chooses to enjoy the luxury afforded her, and the status that gives her opportunity to have an illicit affair with someone her husband actually knows. What they didn’t really grasp onto is her relevancy. She wants to be recognized as this serious actress, but we see her success is largely supported by her husband. If we had gotten that one true moment, where she seems to grapple with the conflict of being actually a good actress, instead of a bankrolled one, it would likely have won her the damn Oscar. Paltrow is so brilliantly cast here, because critics have often questioned her worth, something she must be aware of, and the shadow of Weinstein looms over her lone Oscar nomination and win. What if Harvey hadn’t bankrolled her?

Instead, she’s basically this thing, a distraction for Marty, who has the funds to possibly help him out in a pinch, and he gets to screw over someone he’s at odds with in the process. Much like how Emily Blunt was whatever the film needed her to be in The Smashing Machine, without ever being a fully realized character, Josh does that in variations to three ladies. A’Zion comes out the closest to a fully realized character, but Drescher feels like a character of no importance, while Paltrow is stuck in the land of what could have been. And no, a single shot of a few seconds of her crying does not make a character. the appearance of fragility isn’t a character arc, but questioning your own value or talent is.

That’s not to say I didn’t like the film. It races, pounding every second, demanding you love it. It commands your attention. You can’t help but be impressed. Even if it throws itself into the top level of films of 2025, the little nitpicky things are what slowly chip away at how high it ends up placed. Personally, I needed more from the supporting cast. Even the men, who I’m not even sure are worth mentioning, all feel like blips in Marty’s odyssey. this is the most Timothee Chalamet film we’ve ever had, because it fully commits to him, at the detriment of a very lovely and surprising ensemble.

The score isn’t in my top of the year, but it was worth noting. And, I could see this being a play in other below the line categories. The audio description by Roy Samuelson and Deluxe is fantastic. There are some really surprising moments here, one involving a bathtub, and the other involving honey, where I deeply appreciated the context. I don’t know how everyone will feel about the honey sequence, as it isn’t necessary to the plot, and dances in an area some may not be comfortable with having used for a bit of a laugh. It is a gag, just a deeply depressing one when you actually think about it.

I have no idea where this lands on my final best of the year block of films, but I appreciate so much of it. It also has imperfections. Most films do, and it is about weighting those and how much they are worth in the end.

A singular focus on Chalamet turns this into a break neck tour de force, as Josh Safdi pushes the pacing like his life depends on it. However, a bit more time devoted to those who support Marty would have only improved the film.

Fresh: Final Grade: 8.3/10