by: Jane Wilde

Humor Editor

Like many others, Marty Supreme drew me in because of A24’s seemingly incredible marketing. This included Timothee Chalamet standing on top of the Las Vegas Sphere while yelling, “Marty Supreme Christmas Day,” people following him around with ping pong balls for heads, and the continuous preaching to “dream big” as Marty himself would. However, the marketing for the film preaches arrogance over ambition and needs to start encouraging others to dream big without putting others down to do so. 

An ongoing theme in the film is Marty’s adamant refusal to take no for an answer. Chalamet even went on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to pitch the film, stating, “This is a movie about sacrifice in the pursuit of a dream… and to continue to believe in yourself, dream big, follow your dreams, and not take no for an answer. That’s the spirit of Marty Supreme.” When Chalamet preaches to never take no for an answer, he is referring to Marty’s incessant sacrifices, including his committing several felonies, such as car theft and arson. The sacrifices Chalamet praises allude to the discarding of meaningful relationships and choice of ambition over empathy and stability. He even leaves his pregnant girlfriend to play a ping pong match, insisting the baby is not his. Sacrifices of this manner cross the line of ambition into the territory of arrogance and utter disrespect for others. Never taking no for an answer is not a particularly redeeming quality. When Chalamet markets the movie as fuel and inspiration, he is encouraging the public to behave like abusive, narcissistic lunatics and write it off as dedication. 

The marketing was not only harmful but also incredibly misleading. One of the most prominent marketing tactics A24 used was the distribution of “Marty Supreme Dream Big Fleece’s” amongst A-list celebrities. One recipient was Michael Phelps, a man who desperately fought mental health issues and had to rise out of poverty to become the most decorated Olympic medalist in world history. The association A24 makes between driven, genuine legends and the shifty Marty Miser is misleading on several levels. The comparison suggests that  viewers should idolize Marty, when in reality he should serve as a cautionary tale. After all the Marty Supreme jackets Chalamet gave out intentionally to hard-working dreamers, I was expecting to watch a movie about someone who doesn’t put others down to achieve success and social mobility. 

Admittedly, A24’s marketing for Marty Supreme was impressive. It was unlike anything the public had seen before, but it was morally conflicting and conveyed a problematic message. A24’s marketing plan portrays Marty’s shameful acts as ambitious or overly zealous determination. In order to avoid normalizing narcissistic tendencies, A24 needs to verbalize Marty’s flaws instead of glorifying them as signs of ambition. 

(Sources: The Tonight Show)

Strangely enough, the Director Josh Safdie intentionally made it so audiences root for Marty, despite his distastefulness throughout the entirety of the movie. While it was an interesting aspect of the film that set it apart from others, it can be particularly dangerous to impressionably young people. We are already seeing its effect in the media as articles emerge praising the “work ethic” of Marty Mieser. For example, there was a recent New York Times Article titled “The Real-Life Marty Supreme Taught Me How to Hustle” and a Yahoo piece titled, “Marty Supreme Made Me Root For A Terrible Person, But I’m Not Complaining.” These beliefs continue to permeate pop culture by teaching audiences that arrogance is okay, as long as it gets you where you need to be.