20 February 2026
MARTY SUPREME ***1/2
How does one describe such a frenetic film? Especially one that concerns a scrawny Jewish kid from Manhattan’s Lower East Side whose whole life is about becoming champion in the ping pong world of the 1950s. His ambition has no limits and he’ll steal, lie and grovel through any scenario as long as he’s climbing towards that final world medal. He’s both a sleazy hustler and our hero – how do we reconcile that?
As with all the other films he’s done (“The King”, “Dune”, “A Complete Unknown”, when he became Bob Dylan), this ends up being Timothée Chalamet’s movie from beginning to end, despite the other excitement happening around him. But wait, he’s the one creating all the excitement! That’s Chalamet for you, always striving to be the best. Somewhat like his kinetic character in the film, who is full of flaws but manages to fascinate us anyway. In this film about ambition and class, there are shades of Woody Allen, bits of the great Paul Newman in “The Hustler” from 1961, but it’s also the best film Josh Safdie’s ever directed. And it’s based on the real-life 1950s ping pong champion, Marty Reisman.
You may come out high and in a sweat from all Marty/Timothée goes through – this roller coaster ride is worth it, along with its strong ensemble cast including a sultry Gwyneth Paltrow.
Watch out for the Oscars – the Best Actor award is a tight one this year, with Chalamet (who has already won the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards) and Michael B. Jordan (for “Sinners”) as my favourites.
COUTURE * (vo French and English)
This film about a Paris fashion week lacks any of the excitement or glamour that one would expect from such a subject. Inserting different storylines about three female participants in the frenzy of the shows only adds to the mangled pace of the film. It’s nothing in comparison to Robert Altman’s brilliant 1994 fashion satire, “Prêt à Porter”, which handled an ensemble of characters to perfection.
French director Alice Winocour has made some fine films, such as the 2022 “Revoir Paris” and the 2019 “Proxima”, but unfortunately something is off with this one.
Maybe the fact of having an international star as Angelina Jolie playing the main character somehow perturbed her creative juices. The whole idea of including painful side issues into the glitz of such a couture event just feels out of sync and somehow disingenuous.
Jolie’s morose interpretation of her serious dilemma also feels insincere and adds to the utter dullness of the whole project. For me the film simply dissipated once it ended.
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
