It’s fair to be skeptical of festival hype. Every year, films generate an unprecedented level of excitement from audiences eager to see them, but only a select few actually meet those expectations. The latest to spark that kind of buzz was the “Secret Screening” at this year’s New York Film Festival, revealed to be Josh Safdie’s highly anticipated ping pong sports movie, “Marty Supreme,” starring Timothée Chalamet.
As someone in the audience, I could see that the reaction to “Marty Supreme,” even amid the heightened festival atmosphere, was genuine. The film drew one of the loudest, most enthusiastic responses of the entire festival. It’s outrageous, wildly entertaining, and channels Safdie’s trademark chaos into something manic yet refined and highly crowd-pleasing. With the glowing reactions coming out of NYFF, “Marty Supreme” instantly established itself as a top-five contender in this year’s awards race for distributor A24. So, which Oscars is it contending for?
The first question on everyone’s mind is whether Timothée Chalamet truly delivers a performance that will earn him his first Academy Award for Best Actor? While there’s still a long road ahead, Chalamet is clearly one of the frontrunners, with only Leonardo DiCaprio offering real competition for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.” What Safdie draws from Chalamet is pure cinematic electricity, continuing an extraordinary run for an actor still very early in his career but well on his way to establishing himself as one of the greats up there with the likes of Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, and DiCaprio. It’s a performance that could even embed itself in popular culture faster than Adam Sandler’s Howard Ratner from Safdie’s previous film, “Uncut Gems.” The Golden Globe race should be fierce if both DiCaprio and Chalamet compete in the Comedy/Musical category. But if Chalamet can claim key wins at SAG and BAFTA, even with “One Battle After Another” potentially taking Best Picture, he could still emerge as the major winner for “Marty Supreme.”
It will be tougher for the supporting actresses to break through, though not impossible. Gwyneth Paltrow, returning to film for the first time since 2019, feels like the most likely to ride the film’s momentum if it performs well throughout the season. As a former Oscar winner, her comeback in a project this beloved could generate major goodwill for a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Newcomer Odessa A’Zion, who steals several scenes in the film, could also gain traction in a relatively open Best Supporting Actress race, perhaps following a path similar to Monica Barbaro in “A Complete Unknown” last year and ride her lead’s coattails to an early first nomination in her career. Still, with the women from “One Battle After Another” dominating the Best Supporting Actress conversation (and the ladies of “Sentimental Value” also in play), it’s likely that both A’Zion and Paltrow fall just short. That would leave Chalamet as the film’s sole acting nominee—far from a disappointment, given the magnetism and power of his performance.
What Safdie accomplishes with “Marty Supreme” is remarkable within the context of his own career trajectory. He maintains his signature gritty, raw, and chaotic style of storytelling while expanding it to an epic scale, balancing frenetic energy with genuine emotional weight. It’s organized chaos at its finest, exhilarating yet heartfelt. The film’s larger-than-life characters anchor the madness, which should also put Safdie and co-writer Ronald Bronstein in strong contention for a Best Original Screenplay nomination and Safdie on track for a Best Director nomination. As big a fan as I am and many others were at Alice Tully Hall the other night, some viewers may find “Marty Supreme” divisive. Its closest awards-season parallel might be Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” another film that reveled in excess and outrageousness while remaining impossible to resist. However, it put off many voters, preventing the film from translating any of its Oscar nominations into wins.
Below the line, “Marty Supreme” will be a significant presence. Expect serious contention in categories such as Best Original Score (absolutely otherworldly and all-around incredible work from Daniel Lopatin), Best Production Design (the legendary Jack Fisk), Best Costume Design (“Good Time” and “Uncut Gems” designer Miyako Bellizzi), and Best Film Editing. The only real stretch appears to be Best Supporting Actor; despite Kevin O’Leary’s solid work as a rich asshole, it’s certainly not a stretch for him to play, but it is another example of Safdie stunt casting (something Josh and his brother have done for years) that could land the film in the new Best Casting Oscar conversation.
As the Best Picture race begins to crystallize, “Marty Supreme” seems comfortably positioned to be among the year’s top contenders. When Artistic Director of the New York Film Festival, Dennis Lim, introduced the film before the sold-out audience on Monday night, he mentioned that the festival seeks to showcase the most essential films of the year, and this really seemed like one to him when he first saw it. After having seen it, it really does feel like a culmination moment for Josh Safdie, who has steadily been building his name and reputation on the independent film scene for years (alongside his brother Benny). Like Sean Baker last year, he is set to have his awards season moment of recognition. With its infectious energy, box office potential, and what could be another headline-grabbing promotional run from Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” will likely be a Best Picture nominee and might be the film everyone’s talking about on Oscar night if it can win the 29-year-old actor his first Oscar.
As of this writing, the Next Best Picture team (collectively) is predicting “Marty Supreme” to receive the following Oscar nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor (WIN)
Best Supporting Actress (A’Zion)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Casting
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score
Is “Marty Supreme” the movie that finally earns Timothée Chalamet his first Academy Award? Will Josh Safdie’s latest project surpass expectations this awards season? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and on Next Best Picture’s X account and check out the team’s latest Oscar predictions here.
