Marty (1955)

Waste of time

How sad is this?

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

'Marty' reminds me of the film 'The Catered Affair', which would come out the following year, and also star Ernest Borgnine. Both are quiet and understated, and highlight loneliness and disillusionment in very real ways. In 'Marty', Borgnine is a 34 year old unmarried butcher who still lives with his mother (Esther Minciotti). While she's part of the chorus around him which is critical of him still being single, which includes his customers and friends, they all have a part in trying to keep him that way when he meets a nice young woman (Betsy Blair). Borgnine is clearly a gentleman and a nice guy, but shows his frustration and angst in a couple of nice scenes. The film is especially touching in its moments of honesty, the most memorable for me being Blair explaining to Borgnine in the simplest, most authentic way, why she shied away from kissing him. There is such purity and grace in her character and performance. For anyone who has been lonely or wondered about ever finding someone, the film will likely strike a chord. It's simple on the surface but I liked it for its nuances. Director Delbert Mann and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky show us some of the destructive ways men behave towards women - looking at girlie magazines, reading unrealistic accounts of women's behavior in pulp fiction, and looking for 'sure things' on nights of revelry. It also shows us the tension between wanting to support one's parents in their old age by having them live under the same roof, but just how big of a strain that might be. Minicotti's performance as the mother is excellent, and we see how she understands this issue when it relates to her sister's situation, but then has difficulty applying it to her own. Lastly, the film has some nice street scenes, which underscore its realism. I don't see the film as worthy of four Oscars and four other nominations, it just doesn't seem to be in that category, but if you're looking for a quiet, touching film, this is a good one.

There has never been a pair of leading actor and actress with better romantic chemistry than Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. They amplify each others emotion. Mary's loving relationship with his mother is also shown greatly. This movie communicates the stress of finding the love of your life in a heartfelt way. Their are certain points where scenes drag on too long. The awkwardness of the ballroom scene is perfectly timed but the out on the town scene seems to take too long. This movie does seem too simple at times. As if the characters are just going through the motions of life without a purpose but that is also the point of the film. This film has a hard time balancing the realistic feel of the story with monotony. But the chemistry between the lead characters draws it all together.

It really is a realistic simple love story. The characters are relateable and the story is heart warming to those who watch it. I would definitely recommend this to people who like more realistic love stories between to regular people who aren't deathly attractive or a handsome devil. I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would, i had imagined I'd get a little bored but it kept me watching with really great acting by Borgnine and Blair who really had good chemistry. You found yourself rooting for Borgnine's character because you really felt for him, which I attribute to good acting. It was shot rally well, and directed well really expressing the characters feelings through their actions. A really nice movie

Mart is an alright movie, it certainly wasn't great. Occasionally, it seemed that a character would be blurred out a opposed to other characters in the shot who ere relatively clearer to the audience. The movie also didn't really hold onto my attention. I found my mind wondering from time to time. It as just another romantic movie to me. To me, the story and characters were boring and kind of repetitive. Other than these things, the movie was relatively decent. I liked the character of Marty if nothing else. He brought some humor into an otherwise bland situation. Also, I kind of like the ironic ending of the film.