“The White Lotus,” Mike White’s black comedy anthology series, is back on HBO for a third season. Times staffers love an escape, but since we can’t take a trip to Thailand to stay at a luxury resort, the next best thing is to immerse ourselves in the new season. Follow along with us for each episode as we discuss theories, observations and our favorite moments leading up to the finale. (Read our recaps: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, and Episode 6.)
The knockout blows and roundhouse kicks of Muay Thai fighting hit “The White Lotus” this week — with flashes of a fight spliced throughout the episode — but the more intense combat was happening outside of the ring for our gaggle of rattled characters.
The episode picks up with Rick (Walton Goggins) and Frank’s (Sam Rockwell) arrival at the Bangkok home Sritala (Lek Patravadi) shares with her husband Jim (Scott Glenn) — Rick’s target in the plan to avenge his father’s death. And it’s as hilariously unplanned as you’d expect from two dudes who can make a catch-up session between friends feel like a fever dream. Wearing a baseball cap with the Lowe’s logo, Steven (Frank’s alias as the fictional director in this Hollywood movie scheme) is totally winging this meeting. What has he directed? Uh … “What haven’t I directed? Mostly action films. ‘The Enforcer.’ ‘The Executor.’ ‘The Notary’ — that was a trilogy.” What’s the role in this so-called movie that he wants Sritala to portray? “She is a former prostitute, now a madam, and she owns a popular bordello.” Wait, isn’t the role supposed to be based on her? And has he seen any of her past work? Name ‘em!
It’s no wonder Frank quickly ditches the herbal tea and requests whiskey for the improv work he has to do. But was giving up his sobriety worth it? Then, when Chelsea’s 50-year-old child Rick does get Jim alone, he doesn’t make use of the gun he swore he wouldn’t bring. But closure can take many forms. An affected Rick carries out his revenge by simply knocking back a seated Jim to the floor. With that out of the way, Rick and Frank, who is ditching his performative Buddhist mindset for the evening, party. Chelsea’s calls, meanwhile, go unanswered.
Back in the hills of Thailand, Greg/Gary’s (Jon Gries) bash is unfolding. With some encouragement from her curious son, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) makes the most insane decision ever and willingly places herself inside the home of the man she believes may be responsible for Tanya McQuoid’s death. Greg/Gary asks to speak to her in private, where he insists he isn’t involved in Tanya’s death. Really! To prove how much of a non-murderer he is, he offers Belinda $100,000 — because Tanya would have wanted that — to help fulfill her dream of opening a spa and in exchange, she’d honor “his peace.” Belinda tells him she’ll think about it. (To quote the great Oda Mae Brown: “You in danger, girl.”)
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Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) gets an offer from Greg/Gary for $100,000 to honor “his peace.”
(Fabio Lovino / HBO)
Other party-goers were experiencing their own internal conflicts. Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), flying solo while his siblings are spending the night at the Buddhist center, is there with his parents. After receiving a reality check from Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) about his future as a loser back home, Saxon pulls his dad aside to figure out why he’s been acting strange. Saxon asks whether things are OK at work, emphasizing that he has nothing else going for him because he doesn’t have any interests or hobbies — sorry you had to hear it from us, blender — a medicated Tim, knowing his wife would rather be dead than poor, says everything is fine. Meanwhile, Victoria (Parker Posey) tries to rescue a woman dating an LBH (loser back home) at the party, inviting her to North Carolina.
Things aren’t any more relaxing at the resort — no matter how much Fabian’s vocal cords worked to soothe guests. Our favorite trio couldn’t smile through another dinner, and a passive-aggressive showdown, reminiscent of the recent season finale of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” begins. The conversation is particularly tense between Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Laurie (Carrie Coon). Laurie storms off, determined to go to the Muay Thai fight Valentin invited them to. While there, she cozies up to one of Valentin’s friends and goes home with him, only to be propositioned for $10,000 post-coitus — to pay off the debts of his sick mom, you see.
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At the same fight, Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) — finally on his date with Mook (Lalisa Manobal), who expresses her disappointment at his indifference to ambition and power over dinner — has a light-bulb moment when he spots Valentin and his friends. He recognizes their features and tattoos as those of the masked men who raided the resort. Is this his shot to muster some courage and impress Mook?
Now it’s time for Greg Braxton, Mary McNamara and Yvonne Villarreal, platinum-status members of “The White Lotus” frequent guest program, to break it all down.
Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) finally goes on a date with Mook.
(Fabio Lovino / HBO)
Who do we think is the corpse this week? Will Tim’s realization that the gun is missing be more foreboding than Gaitok possibly leveling up as a security guard?
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McNamara: The corpse is me because I am done trying to pretend that it makes any sense at all that the Ratliffs are all still without their cellphones. I mean Chelsea is on her phone constantly so it’s clearly not a resort rule and there is NO WAY that Tim and Saxon, who clearly knows something is up at work, would not have retrieved theirs. But I am now very worried that the corpse is Rick because there is no way Jim is going to take being shoved over lying down. I mean, did you see all those bodyguards? Still, I‘m sticking with Gaitok, particularly after his recognition of the wily Russians as the robbers and Mook’s goading him toward violence. (Red flag, Gaitok. Big red flag.)
Braxton: I’ve been kind of non-committal for a while on the corpse question, but I will throw out a few theories. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Jim is going to return with Sritala to the White Lotus and track down Rick. He is not the type to take his wife being humiliated and deceived lying down, pardon the pun. When you pull a gun on a guy like him, you better freaking use it, or there will be payback. Also you don’t hire Scott Glenn for one episode. Although he will want to kill Rick, he also might kill Chelsea, bringing to fruition her “bad things come in threes” prophecy.
Villarreal: This week’s episode also has me thinking Gaitok is surely the corpse. His desire to impress Mook is going to have a tragic outcome — or as our Greg loves to say, “it will all end in tears.” But how? I’m not sure. I know there are a lot of questionable characters this season, but there’s something about Fabian I just can’t shake. And it’s not just that he’s a terrible hotel manager or that I’d rather hear the sounds of Saxon’s blender than be serenaded by him. The man seems destined to do something shady or stupid or both.
Let’s talk about the Rick and Frank show. What did you think about their meeting at the Hollingers’ home and what followed afterward?
McNamara: Again, Rockwell steals the show (I am dying for a cinematic trilogy of “The Enforcer,” “The Executioner” and “The Notary.”) Again, I am struck by the lack of believability — I get that Sritala is supposed to be starstruck by Power of Hollywood etc., but when it becomes clear that Frank didn’t even bother to do a quick Google, her lack of suspicion is very much at odds with all those bodyguards. As is Rick and Frank’s lack of concern after they left — I mean, isn’t Rick a little worried that he has to go back to Sritala’s hotel? Maybe she shoots him. I’m also very sad that Frank lost his sobriety.
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Braxton: So Rick has been obsessed with getting his revenge on the man who murdered his father. It’s the defining core of his grief and pain. The big moment is finally here, but instead of being prepared with a solid plan, he wings it, not even taking time to give Frank some advice or background on Sritala so he can play his filmmaker ruse convincingly. What did they talk about on the boat over? It makes no sense. Sritala and her husband seem smart enough to spot an impostor, but they do nothing. And what was the trigger behind Frank tossing aside his sobriety and Buddhist devotion so fast and diving back into depravity? I call it another case of Emmy bait.
Villarreal: First of all, the Lowe’s baseball cap that adorned Frank’s head had my full attention — that small detail left me wanting an entire backstory on how it came into his possession. But on to important matters: The lack of planning to carry out Rick’s grand plan was so hilariously perfect to me. I don’t know why I expected these dudes to deliver anything less than a terribly executed plan — Rick’s meeting with Sritala to set the home visit in the first place proved he was terrible at lying. Maybe his catch-up session with Frank left him too dazed to remember the need for a very basic Plan 101 conversation? Frank at least tried his best to improvise, but to see his sobriety quickly dissipate at the stress of it all was indeed bittersweet. Their ensuing escapade will surely reach doom levels. Am I as delusional as Chelsea to believe Rick will come to his senses before he gets in too deep?
Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) has a heart to heart with Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). Could he be her next sad-boy soulmate?
(Fabio Lovino / HBO)
Chelsea made another sweet (or sad?) declaration of her love for Rick. But will he be her doom?Also, she and Saxon share some interesting moments in this episode. What’s going on there?
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McNamara: Chelsea clearly likes her men damaged and brooding and Rick has become, quite frankly, a bore. So if tragedy strikes the Ratliff family, Saxon could become her next sad-boy soulmate. Or Tim, for that matter.
Braxton: Chelsea + Saxon = yawn. Chelsea’s constant whining and pining for Rick was getting old a few episodes ago. Now it just seems pathetic and doomed. She needs therapy.
Villarreal: I dunno. The parallels between Rick and Chelsea‘s reactions in last week’s episode — Rick in hearing Frank’s monologue; Chelsea in processing Saxon’s lack of memory over the activities he engaged in with his brother — has me believing they are soulmates. I know her declaration about wanting to heal Rick and her being the hope to his pain is the sort of thing that would cause a friend to tell her to run for the hills, but I hope they make it out alive and live happily ever after. And I hope Saxon reads the books and finds his soul.
Chloe’s wild story about Greg/Gary’s weird fetish — what is Mike White trying to say about sex with all these moments?
McNamara: Well, I didn’t believe Chloe’s story for one minute. I have no idea if or why Greg/Gary wanted them to have sex, but all of Saxon’s jaded alpha-maleness certainly fell away in this episode. Still, with the exception of Belinda (and by extension, her son), I don’t have much of an emotional connection with any of this season’s characters, so I have no idea what White is trying to say about anything. I am, however, very curious to see how he’s going to pull any of these threads together in the finale.
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Braxton: The way she told the fetish story was so creepy. And Chelsea seemed to be approving of it. Once again, I feel there’s a lot of effort to be provocative this season without any real texture or meaning. I hope there’s something by the finale that will make it all make sense. But I’m losing hope.
Villarreal: The storytelling from some of these characters has me flashing back to “Are you Afraid of the Dark?” I love how Chelsea took it all in like it was a moderate level of crazy but not completely bonkers. I feel like Chloe is trying to set up a scenario that would set Greg/Gary off, but I don’t know why.
Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), left, Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon) have a nice, uncomfortable dinner.
(Fabio Lovino / HBO)
The volcano of tension between the three frenemies finally erupted. But will it actually end their friendship?
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McNamara: Well, I’m quite worried about Laurie at the moment — I’m not trusting that cab she jumped into. And should she survive the journey, I am wondering if Jaclyn will just stick her with the White Lotus bill.
Braxton: It’s really hard to root for a kumbaya moment with these three. And none of them seem to be having a good time.
Villarreal: If ever there was a moment to call a truce among friends, it’s to share the WTF moment of a guy asking for $10,000 after sex — and suggesting she can PayPal or Zelle it for ease, no less! If they all make it out of this trip alive, I don’t think this unpleasant excursion will end anything. It’ll just be another blip they’ll gloss over when recounting their stay and continue on like passive-aggressive besties until the next one. I, however, would like to know what happened with Dave!
And what did you think of Aleksei’s request for $10,000?
McNamara: I need to know if he asked Jaclyn for same and if she gave it to him.
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Villarreal: Yes, I also wondered if this is a scheme with this guy group! How long before Tim considers this approach to rebuilding his fortune?
What did you think of the exchange between Greg/Gary and Belinda? Should she take the deal?
McNamara: Please call the police, Belinda. Like, now.
Braxton: First of all, Belinda should have played it much smarter: “First of all, make it $300,000, throw in that yacht and have your lawyer call my lawyer so we can get all this on paper. And if anything ever happens to me, my son will send all the dirt on you to the New York Times.” Not sure why she’s so concerned about what happened to Tanya, who was a neurotic mess, heartlessly crushing her dreams of owning a business.
Villarreal: I thought it was insane he was only offering her $100,000 in the year 2025. Like, hello? Maybe he went to the same University of Grand Planning that Rick attended. I did enjoy the way Natasha played that scene, clutching the purse and processing with eye blinks as he spoke. Belinda should definitely not take the deal — unless some more zeros are added to it. But, Greg B., if Belinda did accept Greg/Gary’s bid for her silence, and uses that money to open her spa, in a dark way, Tanya did help finance her dreams.
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Lochy tells Piper he wants to join her in moving to Thailand — surprised? And, more importantly, what’s your take on Piper’s reaction to his decision?
McNamara: Piper wants to get away from her family and for Buddhism to be her thing. That was the most believable thing in the whole episode.
Braxton: Piper loves her brother, but she wants a break from her whole family. That is more important than the Buddhism thing.
Villarreal: This whole family needs distance from each other. I do find it a little weird how quickly Piper was set off by his proposal, considering how much she welcomes his company anytime else.
Who gets your Best Facial Expression award this week?
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McNamara: Victoria, when the young woman protests that she actually loves her LBH husband. That incredulous double flinch/blink. Priceless.
Braxton: Gaitok’s “eureka” moment when he recognizes the thugs.
Villarreal: To avoid repeats, I’ll go with Frank’s reaction to watching a young Sritala perform. When he sincerely offers his thoughts on it — “I mean, it’s like MC Hammer, Peter Pan. It’s got a little Pippin.” — is pretty great, but it’s the way he tilts his head back with his sigh of “ahhh” as she says, “It’s the folk music and the rap music,” that’s gold.
The Tiger Is the Tank. Or rather, the type of German tank that gives the film its international title—just in case anyone might confuse this war story with an adventure movie involving wild animals. The tank itself is the film’s container, much as The Boat was in the legendary 1981 film it openly seeks to emulate in more than one respect, or as the more recent tank was in the Israeli film Lebanon (2009). Yes, much of Dennis Gansel’s movie unfolds inside a tank called Tiger, but what it is ultimately trying to tell goes well beyond its cramped metal walls.
This large-scale Prime Video war production has been described by many as the platform’s answer to Netflix’s success with All Quiet on the Western Front, the highly decorated German film released in 2022. In practice, it is a very different proposition. Despite the fanfare surrounding its release—Amazon even gave it a theatrical run a few months ago, something it rarely does—the film made a far more modest impact. Watching it, the reasons become clear. This is a darker, stranger movie, one that flirts as much with horror as with monotony, and that positions itself less as a traditional war film than as an ethical and philosophical meditation on warfare.
The first section—an intense and technically impressive combat sequence—takes place during what would later be known as the Battle of the Dnieper, which unfolded over several months in 1943 on the Eastern Front, as Soviet forces pushed back the Nazi advance. Der Tiger is the type of tank carrying a compact platoon—played by David Schütter, Laurence Rupp, Leonard Kunz, Sebastian Urzendowsky, and Yoran Leicher—that miraculously survives the aerial destruction of a bridge over the river.
Soon afterward—or so it seems—the group is assigned a mission that, at least in its initial setup, recalls Saving Private Ryan. Lieutenant Gerkens (Schütter) is ordered to rescue Colonel Von Harnenburg, stranded behind enemy lines. From there, the film becomes a journey through an infernal landscape of ruined cities, corpses, forests, and fog—a setting that, thanks to the way it is shot, feels more fantastical than realistic.
That choice is no accident. As the journey begins to echo Apocalypse Now, it becomes clear that the film is less interested in conventional suspense—mines on the road, the threat of ambush—than in the strangeness of its situations and environments. When the tank plunges into the water and briefly operates like a submarine, one may reasonably wonder whether such technology actually existed in the 1940s, or whether the film has deliberately drifted into a more extravagant, symbolic territory.
This is the kind of film whose ending is likely to inspire more frustration than affection. Though heavily foreshadowed, it is the sort of conclusion that tends to irritate audiences: cryptic, somewhat open-ended, and more suggestive than explicit. That makes sense, given that the film is less concerned with depicting the daily mechanics of war than with grappling with its aftermath—ethical, moral, psychological, and physical.
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In its own way, The Tank functions as a kind of mea culpa. The platoon becomes a microcosm of a nation that “followed orders” and committed—or allowed to be committed—horrific acts in its name. The flashbacks scattered throughout the film make this point unmistakably clear. The problem is that, while these ideas may sound compelling when summarized in a few sentences (or in a review), the film never manages to turn them into something fully alive—narratively, visually, or dramatically.
Only in brief moments—largely thanks to Gerkens’s perpetually worried, anguished expression—do those ideas achieve genuine cinematic weight. They are not enough, however, to sustain a two-hour runtime that increasingly feels repetitive and inert. Unlike the films by Steven Spielberg, Wolfgang Petersen, Francis Ford Coppola, and others it so clearly references, The Tank remains closer to a concept than to a drama, more an intriguing reflection than a truly effective film.
Will Smith and his company Treyball Studios Management Inc. are being sued by an electric violinist who is claiming wrongful termination, retaliation and sexual harassment — allegations denied by the actor-rapper-producer in a statement from his attorney.
Brian King Joseph alleges in a lawsuit filed earlier this week that Smith hired him to perform on the 2025 Based on a True Story tour, then fired him before the tour began in earnest in Europe and the U.K.
Joseph, who finished third in Season 13 of “America’s Got Talent,” went onto Instagram in the days before filing his lawsuit and posted a Dec. 27 video saying that he had been hired for “a major, major tour with somebody who is huge in the industry” but “some things happened” that he couldn’t discuss because it was a legal matter.
Electric violinist Brian King Joseph, seen performing at an awards show last October, is suing for wrongful termination, retaliation and sexual harassment.
(Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images for Media Access Awards)
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But, he said, “Getting fired or getting blamed or shamed or threatened or anything like that, simply for reporting sexual misconduct or safety threats at work, is not OK. And I know that there’s a lot of other people out there who have been afraid to speak up, and I understand. If that’s you, I see you. … More updates to come soon.”
In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court and reviewed by The Times, Joseph alleges that he and Smith struck up a professional relationship in November 2024, after which Joseph performed at two of Smith’s shows in San Diego and was invited to perform on several tracks for Smith’s “Based on a True Story” album, which was released March 28.
After the performances in San Diego, Joseph posted video of a show on Instagram with the caption, “What an honor to share the stage with such legends and a dream team of musicians. From playing in the streets to sharing my music on stages like this, this journey has been nothing short of magic — and this is just the beginning. Grateful beyond words for every single person who made this possible.”
While working on the album, the lawsuit alleges, “Smith and [Joseph] began spending additional time alone, with Smith even telling [Joseph] that ‘You and I have such a special connection, that I don’t have with anyone else,’ and other similar expressions indicating his closeness to [Joseph].”
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Joseph soon joined Smith and crew for a performance in Las Vegas, the lawsuit says — on March 20 at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay — with Smith’s team booking rooms for everyone involved. Joseph left his bag, which contained his room key, in a van that took performers to rehearsal, and then the bag went missing for a couple of hours after he requested someone get it for him, the suit says.
When Joseph returned to his room late that night, according to the complaint, he found evidence that someone had entered his room without his permission.
“The evidence included a handwritten note addressed to Plaintiff by name, which read ‘Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F.,’” the document says. “Among the remaining belongings were wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a person unbeknownst to Plaintiff.”
Joseph worried that “an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts” with him, the complaint says.
It adds that Joseph, “concerned for his safety and the safety of his fellow performers and crew,” alerted hotel security and representatives for Treyball and Smith, took pictures, requested a new room and reported the incident to police using a non-emergency line. Hotel security found no signs of forced entry, and Joseph flew home the next day.
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Several days later, rather than being called on to join the next part of the tour, a Treyball representative told him the tour was “going in a different direction,” the lawsuit says, and that his services were no longer needed. The representative “redirected the blame for the termination onto [Joseph], replying, ‘I don’t know, you tell me, because everyone is telling me that what happened to you is a lie, nothing happened, and you made the whole thing up. So, tell me, why did you lie and make this up?’ [Joseph], shocked at the accusation, had nothing further to say,” as he believed the reports and evidence from Las Vegas spoke for themselves.
Joseph alleges in the lawsuit that as a result of events in Las Vegas and in the days immediately afterward, he suffered severe emotional distress, economic loss and harm to his reputation. He also alleges that the stress of losing the job caused his health to deteriorate and that he suffered PTSD and other mental illness after the termination.
“The facts strongly suggest that Defendant Willard Carroll Smith II was deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation,” the lawsuit alleges. “The sequence of events, Smith’s prior statements to Plaintiff, and the circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident.”
The Times was unable to reach publicists or a lawyer for Will Smith because of the holiday. However, Smith attorney Allen B. Grodsky told Fox News on Thursday that “Mr. Joseph’s allegations concerning my client are false, baseless and reckless. They are categorically denied, and we will use all legal means available to address these claims and to ensure that the truth is brought to light.”
Joseph’s attorney, Jonathan J. Delshad, recently filed sexual assault civil suits against Tyler Perry on behalf of actors who say they were not hired for future work by the billionaire movie and TV producer after they rejected his alleged advances.
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Joseph is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and payment of attorney fees in an amount to be determined at trial.
The Based on a True Story tour played 26 dates in Europe and the U.K. last summer. Nine of the acts were headlining gigs, while the rest were festivals.
By John E. Finley-Weaver in San DiegoJohn E. Finley-Weaver (SDJW photo)
My wife convinced me to watch a movie about ping pong. And, having acquiesced to her proposal, I dove face-first into a kettle of willful ignorance, knowing only that Some Guy Timothée Chalamet of Dune 1 and Dune 2 and A Complete Unknown (another of her suggestions) was the lead, and that what we were soon to watch might move me. Or, at the very least, that it might entertain me.
The movie did not disappoint.
In fact, Marty Supreme is the absolute best film about table tennis that I have ever seen. And I’ve seen all of one of them so far, although I am aware of and have seen a few clips of Robert Ben Garant’s Balls of Fury.
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But, holy mackerel, Marty Supreme is not just a movie about some lanky goniff whose inner craving for focused dominance in one specific realm compels him to pursue a shiny, sportsball “X” trophy, culminating in a crowd-pleasing, applause roar of triumph . . . a n d . . . cut to the end credits, supplemented by a catchy, happy song . . . . “Honey, let’s get to the restroom, fast!”
Uh-uh. Nay. Marty Supreme is a lived-in world (like the Star Wars universe, but way different and way better) populated by tactile characters, each of whom has their own, inferred history and glob of yearnings. And they have warts. Lots of warts. Warts and all.
Marty Mauser, the Jewish protagonist of Marty Supreme, is a plucky ping pong imp and shoe salesman, in addition to being a nimble and loquacious malarkey artist. He is also a shockingly-gawdawful, verbal bastard person to his mother, played by Fran Drescher, who left her specific, discount Phyllis Diller voice in the dustbin of screen history where it belongs, much to the contentment of my sensitive ears.
Marty Mauser is even more a womanizer and a thief. And he is a delight. And, because boring, nice boys don’t have movies made about them, he does something for his ema that is chutzpahdik, illegal, vandalicious, unhistorical, and tear-inducingly sweet.
And again, dear Reader, I went into this movie knowing most of nothing about it. If you are like me, fear not: I shan’t disclose the plot.
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Marty Mauser’s partners in life and “crime” are the facially-delicious Rachel, played by Odessa A’zion and best bud Wally, performed by Tyler Okonma, each complementarily savvy to Marty’s needs and wants.
The remainder of the film’s actors is a gathering of casting directorial genius: Kevin O’Leary, the that guy from some reality television show that I will never watch; Gwyneth Paltrow; director Abel Ferrara; Sandra Bernhard, my lukewarm, high school “bad girl” crush; Géza Röhrig, whose character is seven year’s fresh from a Nazi death camp and hauntingly beautiful; Koto Kawaguchi, the movie-world champion and legally-deaf Tommy-esque pinball wizard of ping pong and real-world champion of the game; Pico Iyer, Indo-Limey travel writer, meditator, and inveterate outsider; George Gerwin, a very retired basketball player; Ted Williams and his golden voice; Penn Jillette, agrarian and blasty; Isaac Mizrahi, obviously “out” in 1952; and David freaking Mamet.
Gush.
And great googly woogly. They all do their jobs so gosh darn well that I don’t notice them as actors acting.
And then, as I have done since I was a child, for science fiction books, for television, and for movies, I recast, in my mind’s eye, all of the characters and their associated journeys as different people. I made an all-Negro cast of the film. And it worked. No radical changes to the script were necessary. I did the same for a spunky, mid-West farm girl as the lead. That worked. I tried again, using a Colombian lesbian. That worked too.
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I praise the cinematic vision of Director Josh Safdie. I praise the wide accessibility of the script he co-wrote with Ronald Bronstein: Thank you. The expected plot points, the tropes of moviedom, the “inevitable” happenings of standard movies never really happened. Marty Supreme zaggled and Zelig’d when I expected it to zig.
A lesser film would not have surprised me in most of its story structure, its scenes, or its character paths. A lesser film would have had me in my seat, either smugly prognosticating the next events, or non-thinkingly rapt for entire scenes. This film, this masterpiece of storytelling and visual and aural execution outsmarted me. It outsmarted my movie mind, and for that, I am grateful.
Marty Supreme is a very Brooklyn Jewy movie, but it sings from the standard Humanity of us all, to each of us. And that is movie making at its finest.
* Cinema buff John E. Finley-Weaver is a freelance writer based in San Diego.
