The match begins with a choice of which side you play on. The ball dribbles on the table and the ball bounces off the table. You hear a boom boom and all you focus on is that ball. The ball hits the net and bounces off. The player yells no and fails to return the hit. The crowd goes boo boo you suck. Your opponent falls to the ground. You need one more point till you reach a win. You hit the ball and your opponent does not return the ball. You have won the last point and the crowd goes wild.
The Rise
You may have heard of this movie and who its stars are. The film stars Timothee Chalamet as the protagonist Marty Mauser and features the acting debut of Tyler Okonma, (Tyler, the Creator) as Wally, a close friend of Mauser’s. This movie gives attention to table tennis just like how the Happy Gilmore movie brings people’s attention to golf. Marty Supreme, brings attention to table tennis.
The first major tournament in the movie is in London. Mauser faces a predicament when he realizes he cannot afford to compete as a result of his poor financial situation. He decides to go to his uncle’s store and ask his coworker, Lloyd, to open the safe and give him $700, claiming his uncle owes him that money anyway. Things quickly escalate when Mauser threatens Lloyd with a gun and tells him to call the police on him.
At this tournament, he meets Kay Stone, an actress. He sets his eyes on talking to her husband, Militon Rockwell, to ask him to come to his table tennis game. During the tournament, he makes it to the finals and faces Koto Endo of Japan, but he loses. Despite his loss, Rockwell still made him an offer to go to Japan on his behalf. Mauser declines; he seems to think it’s beneath him, and he reveals he slept with Rockwell’s wife. Although he later on decides to take the offer, bringing unfortunate consequences like Rockwell hitting him with a table tennis paddle on his butt.
The Ambition
Mauser is a confident but messy character. He never gives up on his table tennis dream, always looking for a way to make money to go to a different tournament. This hustle and grind mindset is one many Americans can relate to and respect. In the movie, Mauser begs Rockwell to reconsider an offer he made to him. He ends up making it to Japan, but finds out Rockwell secretly paid for him to lose. This doesn’t stop Mauser as he decides he won’t lose. He plays his match against Endo again and wins. He lost the first time because he had more importance for his reputation than the match. After his match, Rockwell tells him that he will not be taking him home. With no way home, he was forced to leave Japan in a military plane. Mauser’s determination to reach his goals and refusal to believe in failure is what builds the resilience many viewers praise in him. His character’s craving for the concept of greatness is what pushes him to claw every opportunity out in every turn, despite how unconventional something truly seems.
The Relationships
Mauser has a chaotic love life with two women. The first woman is Rachel Mizler, who cheats on her husband with Mauser. Eight months later, he finds out she is pregnant. After his tournament in London, Mauser runs into her shop to hide from the police, who were looking for him after his robbery at his uncle’s shop . Then she reveals the news of her pregnancy, and her husband walks in on them while talking. It’s never clear if the baby was truly his or not. The second woman he is with is Stone, who catches his attention, and he later calls her on the phone in her hotel. He tries to get her to come to his match, and that’s where they start their relationship. His reasoning for getting with her is debatable; it’s unclear if he really wanted to be with her or because he was looking to benefit from her husband. However, she constantly comes to look for him, and he does too.
Mauser’s relationship with Wally can seem a bit one-sided. After Mausers leaves his home, they try to play table tennis and make money. They both lie to their competitor, stating they don’t know each other, so they can scam them to make money. Wally plays against Mauser and loses. Then, Wally says he needs $5 to pay for his gas to get home. The crowd tells Mauser he should give him his $5, and he refuses. A guy decides to play for him to get money to go home. They end up combining the money they both made. They go to a gas station, but things don’t go their way when a group of guys arrive and demand their money. The gas station explodes and Wally and Mauser drive off to safety. Mauser asks if he can have all the money, but he will pay Wally back triple with the money he makes from his tournament. Wally decides to give him all the money, and Wally tells him not to screw him over. This pretty much describes the relationship of codependency they have despite their deceit.
The Final Opinion
The ending of this movie can be quite confusing. The ending scene shows Mauser coming home from Japan and meeting his baby, telling Rachel he will be there for her. The ending does fit with the movie because the movie is a little bit over the place. This movie encapsulated the feeling of always being on the run alongside Mauser, trying to keep up with him and his bold dreams. The movie, overall, can be confusing to some because the ending is rather uneventful, unlike the frenzy Mauser puts the audience through up to this point. The ending leaves you questioning what will happen with Mauser next. Mauser is neither a good nor a bad person. He’s not in the right for stealing or for having affairs with other men’s wives. However, he cares about his baby in the end and promises to take care of Rachel. Some may relate to the inner conflict his character faced, as no character had faith in him. Mauser seemed to be the only person who believed that he was destined for greatness. His story is inspirational as he doesn’t give up; he keeps chasing his dreams.
Timothee’s idea of what the movie is may be different from what audiences perceive. He says in an interview, “This movie is about sacrifice and pursuit of a dream and it’s something I can relate to big time.” He wants the younger people to dream big and never give up. It’s important to keep pursuing your dreams and be a hustler, pushing through the bad and striving for greatness.