The bar for being “shocking” in movies is somewhere in the stratosphere at this point. So it says a lot that there’s a scene in Timothée Chalamet‘s new movie, Marty Supreme, that you won’t soon stop thinking about.
Filmmaker Josh Safdie’s latest is full of bold, audacious filmmaking. Its opening credits unfold against the backdrop of wannabe table tennis champion Marty Mauser’s (Chalamet) swimming sperm fertilizing a giant egg, which transitions into a tennis table ball (and it’s all set to “Forever Young”).
(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
For those who have seen the masterpiece Uncut Gems (directed by Safdie and his brother Benny), you’ll be familiar with the kind of manic, relentless energy that courses through each frame of this 149-minute movie.
Yet of all the exceptionally bonkers stuff that goes on in Marty Supreme, no moment is wilder than watching Chalamet’s character get spanked by Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful himself, Kevin O’Leary.
Yes, really.
In Marty Supreme, Marty Mauser is a man desperate to become the world table tennis champion. He’s deeply unlikable—or would be, if Chalamet weren’t so impeccably charming—and ticks off just about everyone he’s ever met or worked alongside to get to the top of the table tennis world.
After losing the World Championship in London (using funds he stole to get there) to Japanese competitor Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi, a real-life champ), he’s in desperate need of cash if he wants to compete for the championship again, this time in Tokyo. Much of the film finds Marty getting into hairbrained schemes to scrounge enough dollars together to get from New York to Tokyo, which come up short time and time again. He’s down to his last hope: a shrewd, powerful businessman played by O’Leary.
Yes, the millionaire businessman who’s a regular on Shark Tank and on various news networks as a right-wing political pundit makes his feature film debut as an actor playing one of Marty Supreme’s most pivotal characters. If there’s one thing the Safdies are going to do, it’s put a non-actor well-versed in a character’s career, and do it well, not unlike casting NBA star Kevin Garnett as himself in Uncut Gems.
O’Leary fits his role perfectly in Marty Supreme: Milton Rockwell, a business magnate married to Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), with whom Marty has a clandestine affair. Milton functions as an extension of O’Leary’s television persona; he’s brash, dominant, opinionated, obnoxious, and exceptionally wealthy.
Early in the film, Milton, impressed by Marty’s gamesmanship, offers him a sponsorship to Tokyo. The catch is that Marty would have to agree to lose an exhibition match to Endo so that Milton can sell more product in Japan. Addicted to winning, Marty turns him down. But later, finding himself without another option, Marty comes to the party Milton’s throwing for Kay to beg for a second chance—a party he’s very much not invited to after crushing all the goodwill he once had with Milton.
When Marty interrupts Milton, he’s sitting with some of his millionaire friends. He’s furious that Marty’s in his house, but Marty isn’t one for small talk and cuts right to the chase, pleading with Milton to reconsider the sponsorship. With the Tokyo tournament days away, he has no other choice. “There are no second chances in life,” Milton says, dismissing Marty.
There’s a twinkle in Milton’s eyes, and he’s thought of the perfect way to benefit his business with Marty’s presence, while getting twisted personal satisfaction. He tells Marty that he’ll agree to sponsor him as long as he agrees to throw the exhibition match, and this time, a very desperate Marty agrees. But there’s a twist. Milton wants to spank Marty’s bare a-- with a table tennis paddle in front of his friends.
Again, winning is everything to Marty. He sees himself as a Christlike figure incapable of error. All he needs is a trip to Tokyo to prove it. Marty agrees to this humiliation ritual because it’s the only way he can show the world he’s a champion. He just has to hit rock bottom first.
Speaking of bottoms, Milton does not hesitate to lay into Marty’s. Marty pulls down his pants—yes, you see Chalamet’s bum. Milton places him over his knee and whips him with the paddle. “You have no power here,” Milton reminds him, before smacking his rear with all of his might.
Safdie’s camera replicates the frenetic energy of the moment, cutting furiously between Marty’s anguished face, his exposed buttocks, Milton having the time of his life, the paddle, and Milton’s rich friends, enjoying the spectacle. It’s an eruption of wanton chaos.
It’s a scene that’s equal parts hysterical and distressing. There’s a wicked contrast between Milton relishing his long-sought opportunity to force his power over Marty, and Marty doing everything in his power not to weep over what he’s lost. What’s most remarkable is the vulnerability of Chalamet’s Marty, who’s been entirely indomitable up to this point, effectively laughing in the face of everything that’s tried to stop him.
But here, bare (and very red, thanks to the paddling) a-- and all, Marty is not the supreme player he’s built himself up to be. In this festival of spanking, he’s reduced to a mere mortal, a person who’s never really succeeded in the way he’s manifested for himself. Strangely, as he’s getting his butt relentlessly whooped by Milton, he’s the most human he’s ever been. It’s a wacky moment, but one with a stunning undercurrent of heart.
Nothing humbles you quite like being surrounded by people who have all the money you dream of, laughing at you while you’re being spanked within an inch of your life. And that humility might just make Marty the champion he’s always wanted to be.
