The reviews are unusually united. Nearly every critic puts Timothée Chalamet first, and the same words recur: swaggering, volatile, hustling, a performance built on ego that somehow keeps the audience with a character most of them describe as unlikeable. Josh Safdie’s direction comes second, praised for its pace, its table-tennis sequences and its 1950s New York; several reviews also welcome Gwyneth Paltrow’s return and single out the supporting faces and the eclectic soundtrack. The spread is narrow, with no mixed or negative notices, so the reservations are small and scattered rather than shared. Little White Lies finds the third act sagging under the protagonist’s hubris, and Collider notices a similar slowdown near the end. Paste thinks the supporting characters thin and is not sure the film’s parts connect, while The Ringer wonders how much sympathy an audience can spare for so self-absorbed a hero. Nobody argues that it is dull.
R
Radio Times
5 December 2025 · ★★★★★ · Max Copeman
100
The film is a breathless and brilliant high-octane character study that thrillingly validates Chalamet's ambitions as an actor. His intense, swaggering portrayal of the narcissistic prodigy is singled out as a career highlight that keeps viewers hooked despite the character's deplorable traits.
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Time Out
15 December 2025 · ★★★★★ · Phil de Semlyen
100
This is a stunning, precisely controlled joyride and a modernist fairy tale about ambition colliding with street-level realities. Chalamet's on-fire, calculating performance as the talented hustler is singled out as the standout element that elevates the cartwheeling caper.
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Little White Lies
23 December 2025 · 5/4/5 · Hannah Strong
80
Safdie works at a remarkable technical level in this dazzling, slick-yet-scrappy anti-sports biopic powered by Chalamet's committed lead turn. The breathless energy and thrilling ping-pong sequences are highlighted, though the third act sags slightly under the weight of the protagonist's hubris.
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Sight and Sound
16 December 2025
80*
The critic praises the film as a vibrant, kinetic American striver story full of humour and Safdie's signature energy. Chalamet's bratty, chutzpah-filled performance as the hustler is singled out as perfect.
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Screen Daily
1 December 2025
75*
This is a propulsively entertaining, bracingly amoral character study that perverts the familiar sports underdog narrative. Chalamet's swaggering, bullheaded performance as the self-centred egoist is singled out as the combustible heart of the film.
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Empire
1 December 2025 · Jamie Graham
The critic declares it a great American picture that dazzles from its table-tennis contests to its dark portrait of American dreams. It singles out the giddy messiness, electrifying volatility and Chalamet's likeable yet rampantly egocentric lead performance.
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Evening Standard
29 December 2025
The critic hails an out-and-out humdinger of a ride driven by Timothée Chalamet's melt-the-screen-down-to-gold performance. It singles out Chalamet's grandstand, steamroller audacity in staking a claim for his first Oscar.
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The Guardian
1 December 2025 · Peter Bradshaw
The film is a gonzo screwball nightmare of frantic energy and bad taste, with Chalamet as a hustling table-tennis antihero and Paltrow making a stylish return. It captures the rhythm of ping-pong in its chaotic back-and-forth while showing the protagonist's surprising maturity by the end.
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The Independent
22 January 2026 · Clarisse Loughrey
The critic praises the film as a powder keg of a sports movie that confirms Timothée Chalamet as one of the greatest talents. It singles out Chalamet's career-best, volatile performance as the relentlessly ambitious table tennis player and the director's building of a New Hollywood habitat around him.
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The i Paper
26 December 2025
The critic calls it a wild, unpredictable tragicomedy that could finally get Timothée Chalamet his Oscar. It singles out Chalamet's droll, unpredictable and wild turn as the entertainingly unlikeable lead.
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The New York Times
24 December 2025 · NYT Critic’s Pick · Manohla Dargis
The critic hails Josh Safdie’s film as one of the most exciting movies of the year, with Timothée Chalamet delivering a ferocious, verve-filled turn as a magnetic table-tennis striver. The review singles out the film’s vivid, singular supporting characters and unhomogenized faces for particular praise.
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The Times
1 December 2025 · Kevin Maher
Chalamet delivers a full-throttle, De Niro-esque performance as the obsessive ping-pong champion, while Paltrow steals scenes in a glorious acting return. The amphetamine-fuelled pacing and eccentric storytelling make it a barnstormer from Josh Safdie.
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Den of Geek
1 December 2025 · ★★★★★ · David Crow
100
The critic praises Chalamet's charismatic, ego-driven lead performance as a hustling table tennis prodigy in this high-energy Safdie film. It highlights the film's mix of suspense, humor, and anachronistic soundtrack as a euphoric companion to Uncut Gems.
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Digital Spy
1 December 2025 · ★★★★★ · Ian Sandwell
100
The review lauds Chalamet's transformative, unmissable performance as the arrogant yet charming Marty in this unconventional sports drama. It singles out the film's surprising plot twists, immersive 1950s New York setting, and strong ensemble for making it a special, anxiety-fueled ride.
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/Film
1 December 2025 · 10/10 · Chris Evangelista
100
The critic calls it one of the best movies of the year and praises Timothée Chalamet's career-best performance as the chaotic, hustling table tennis dreamer Marty Mauser. They single out the film's controlled breakneck pace, humor, vibrant score and genuinely exciting ping-pong sequences as standout elements.
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NME
19 December 2025 · ★★★★★ · Jordan Bassett
100
The critic calls it an audacious masterpiece, celebrating Safdie's frenetic direction that elevates table tennis sequences and the film's warm, generous heart. It praises the story's celebration of living fully without fear or cynicism, with standout set-pieces and an eclectic soundtrack.
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Deadline
1 December 2025 · Pete Hammond
85*
The critic praises Timothée Chalamet's commanding and sensational performance as the ambitious, brash ping-pong hustler Marty Mauser in this kinetic, character-rich story. They single out the film's energetic pace, vivid supporting cast, and Safdie's direction as key strengths in what is seen as a modern take on a hustler tale.
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Paste
1 December 2025 · B+ · Jesse Hassenger
83
The critic finds it great entertainment with Chalamet's star-making performance as the highlight, praising the intense, reckless energy, but notes thin supporting characters and questions if it fully connects its elements.
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Collider
1 December 2025 · 8/10 · Ross Bonaime
80
Praises Chalamet's career-best performance and Safdie's intense, propulsive direction in this table tennis sports-crime film, calling it one of the most exciting films of the year despite a slight slowdown near the end.
Read the full review →R
The Ringer
23 December 2025 · Adam Nayman
80*
The critic sees it as a virtuoso, relentless roller-coaster driven by Chalamet's committed, try-hard performance and Safdie's high-velocity storytelling, highlighting the film's literary texture and themes of ambition and sacrifice, though questioning audience sympathy for the self-absorbed protagonist.
Read the full review →Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate