Absolutely loved it.
Chalamet will probably win the Oscar, the casting overall was impeccable, the score was awesome (very '80s inspired), and the ending could not have been more satisfying.
But fair warning, in case anyone has any delusions of this being an inspirational sports drama, it's definitely a Safdie Brothers movie (or Brother, rather). Meaning relentless, edge-of-your-seat mayhem from beginning to end, especially in the second half, sprinkled with sex and violence and general insanity throughout (though no blatant nudity save for a few quick glances of nude photos). There's also a super-weird, 20-second-or-so bit with honey that was one of the most random WTF moments I've seen in a while, that seemingly caused two people in our sold-out theater to walk out.
So adjust your expectations accordingly.
That said, there *is* a compelling sports drama inside this thing, that comes to an incredible head in the third act. It's just that Marty is simply not a character you're going to root for in traditional fashion. Rather, he's very much another slimy, in-over-his-head, constantly-doubling-down/digging-a-deeper-hole character type, in the same vein as Robert Pattinson in Good Time and Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems. And while I saw it with my family and everyone liked it, my dad and one of my brothers-in-law were "exhausted" when it was over, and everyone liked One Battle After Another a bit more (which we all watched together the night before). Still, I made the same crew sit through Uncut Gems in the theater six years ago, which they hated with a passion and still give me **** for, so they were super weary going into this one, but were pleasantly surprised when it was over. It's just as relentless, if not more so, but a bit more "accessible," if that makes sense. Granted, it's still not for everyone, but if you're even remotely interested in seeing it, and know what you're getting into, you'll have a great time.
