Best Picture Movie Reviews: 1955: Marty

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Marty is the story of a weekend in the life of a 34-year old Italian-American somewhere in New York City. Marty is as of yet unmarried, due to not having much luck with women. He's constantly harassed by his family and friends as to why he hasn't married yet.

After giving into his mothers badgering, he and a friend spend a saturday night at a dance club, The Starlight Ballroom, where he meets Clara, a plain schoolteacher who has been abandoned by her blind date. They form an instant bond over their troubles with men/women, and have a fun and happy evening with other.

The next day, his mother and friends indicate their dislike of Clara, and Marty becomes very conflicted, between his desire to pursue a relationship and the peer pressure...

This film is a fairly straightforward and simple romance, and seems like one of the weaker Best Picture movies. While I did enjoy it, and it is heartwarming, and apparently very successful (and with 100% of rotten tomatoes), I did not find it fantastic. The performances for Marty and Clara are done very well, but the narrative structure doesn't give them a lot to work with.

It is also somewhat of an interesting glimpse into 50s culture, with a few interesting turns of phrase (such as calling someone unattractive a 'dog' but the word seems much less harsh then it is today...).

Altogether, not a waste of time, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again.