Is Marty Supreme based on a real person? Explained

Marty Supreme is a 2025 sports comedy-drama film directed by Josh Safdie. He co-wrote the script with Ronald Bronstein. The movie stars Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a table tennis player from 1950s New York. 

It premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 6, 2025. A24 released it in theatres on December 25, 2025. The runtime is 149 minutes. The budget was $60-70 million, A24's most expensive film.

The film is not a biopic. It is a fictional story loosely based on and inspired by Marty Reisman, a real American table tennis champion.

Reisman's life as a hustler and player from New York influences the character. 

Safdie got the idea from Reisman's 1974 memoir, The Money Player. The movie imagines what if table tennis became as big as tennis.

It mixes humour, drama and action in underground matches and global tours.

However Marty Mauser is not a real person. But the film draws from Reisman's career and personality for its core drive. 

The context is 1950s New York, where ping-pong was a side game in clubs and arcades. Safdie uses this to show ambition in the face of the odds. 

The cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow as Kay Stone, Odessa A'zion as Rachel Mizler and Fran Drescher as Rebecca Mauser. Kevin O'Leary as  Milton Rockwell, Abel Ferrara as Ezra Mishkin and Tyler Okonma as Wally in a supporting role.

Chalamet trained in table tennis for six years. Cinematographer Darius Khondji shot on 35mm film.

Who is Marty Reisman? The real man behind Marty Supreme

Marty Reisman was born on February 1, 1930, in Manhattan, New York. He was Jewish, from an Ashkenazi family. He started playing table tennis at age 12 in Bronx pool halls.

By 16, he hustled pros for money. He won his first major title in 1946. Reisman earned five bronze medals at the World Table Tennis Championships, including team, singles, and mixed doubles in 1948 and 1949.

He took the U.S. Men's Singles titles in 1958 and 1960. He also won a British Open. In 1997 at the age of 67, he became the oldest winner of a U.S. national racket sports championship with the Hardbat title. 

He retired in 2002 after 22 major wins in total. Reisman favoured hardbat paddles over modern sponge ones. He was nicknamed "the Needle" for his slim build and quick wit.

Reisman hustled worldwide, betting against celebrities and maharajahs.

He made and lost fortunes three times. He opened Reisman's Table Tennis Club on Broadway in the 1960s, which ran for 20 years.

He performed comedy routines, even opening for the Harlem Globetrotters with a frying pan paddle. 

In 2010, he founded Table Tennis Nation to promote fun play. He wrote The Money Player in 1974, detailing his life as a champion and hustler. Reisman died on December 7, 2012, at age 82 from heart and lung issues.

Josh Safdie's wife gave him the memoir in 2018. Safdie saw links to Chalamet, like slim build and energy.

They co-wrote a script based on Reisman's life but made it fictional. Safdie called it an "homage," not a biopic.

It honours Reisman's dream to elevate ping-pong. The film uses his New York roots, hustling, and global travels. Chalamet's Mauser shares the first name and showman flair.

Safdie aimed to show an alternate history where ping-pong rivals tennis.

Marty Supreme: Plot insights

The story follows Marty Mauser in 1950s New York. He works in his uncle's shoe store but dreams of table tennis fame. Mauser hustles in underground clubs for cash.

He faces family doubts and a lack of respect for the sport. He pushes for pro leagues and TV exposure.

Mauser travels to London, Paris, Tokyo, Sarajevo, Tangier, and Cairo. He cons sponsors, bets big and clashes with rivals. A key idea is orange balls for TV visibility.

He starts a romance with a faded actress, played by Paltrow. It mixes passion and transaction. Family ties, like with Drescher's character, add tension.

The plot builds through matches, betrayals, and wins. Mauser questions if success costs his identity. It ends on a heartfelt note of pursuit.

Marty Supreme is in theatres now via A24. It streams on Max in early 2026. 

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