I really enjoyed Ernest Borgnine in the McHale's Navy series and my father and I used to watch it all the time. Seeing this movie opened my eyes to what a great and versatile actor Borgnine was. The film moves slowly and deliberately but is spiced with reality that many of us can identify with. Boy meets girl, the story line is not new or original in many aspects, however the way Borgnine presents his character in the film is believable and he will have you rooting for his character. This film could have been the inspiration of the romance in "Rocky" between Rocky and Adrian. From clown to villain to wall flower, this is another role that Borgnine plays so well. I thought his role in RED would be his last but he kept on going a couple more years. His love for acting shows in the dedicated way he presents his characters in his films. Simply a charming movie.

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.

The movie occurs over one autumn weekend in New York City. Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) is a good-hearted but socially artless thirty-four year old Bronx butcher. He lives with his widowed mother (Esther Minciotti). All of his siblings are married. Older women customers constantly badger the hapless man about marriage and settling down: "When are you gonna get married?" In truth the heavyset Marty, totally disheartened by his rejection by available women, has resigned himself to a permanent single life. He says, "Ma, sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts. And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it."At the urging of his mother, on Saturday evening Marty heads to the Stardust Ballroom where younger people congregate, meet, and dance. Mrs. Piletti hopes he will meet a nice young Italian Catholic girl. Marty of course has difficulty in persuading ladies to dance with him. Before long, though, Marty approaches plain looking but decent twenty-nine year-old chemistry teacher Clara Snyder (Betsy Blair), who was abandoned by her rascal of a date. The two lonely people spend the evening enjoying each others' company – dancing, walking, and going to a luncheonette. Marty delivers one of the film's funnier lines, "See, dogs like us, we ain't such dogs as we think we are." Marty is so excited and so overjoyed that he talks a mile a minute: "There I go again. I can't stop talking'." He takes Clara home by bus and promises to call her the following day after Sunday Mass. Meanwhile there are several subplots that do not require reviewing here.On Sunday, Marty's friends and even his mother – who now fears being left alone after conversing with Aunt Catherine (Caterina = Augusta Ciolli) – disparage Clara. Feeling pressure from his mother and friends Marty does not call Clara after Mass. Then early that evening while Marty is with his friends he hears the same old refrain: "What do you feel like doing, Angie?" "I dunno. What do you feel like doing?" "I dunno."Arising from his slumber, Marty mimics the conversation, "'What are you doing tonight? I dunno. What are you doing tonight?' . . . Miserable and lonely and stupid! What am I, crazy or something? I got something good here. What am I hanging around with you guys for?" When his friends ask Marty what is wrong he finally reprimands them, "You don't like her. My mother don't like her. She's a dog. And I'm a fat, ugly man. Well, all I know is I had a good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees. I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me. If we make a party on New Year's, I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad." He rushes to the nearest telephone booth to call Clara, who with her parents is watching the Ed Sullivan Show on TV. As he dials the telephone Marty tells his pesky friend (Joe Mantell), "Hey Angie, when are you gonna get married? You oughta be ashamed of yourself. You're thirty-three years old and your kid brothers are married. You oughta be ashamed of yourself." Marty closes the telephone booth door as Clara answers the phone. "Marty" exemplifies excellent performances by all. Nicely filmed on location in the Bronx, it was shot on a low budget ($343,000) that yielded high quality results and a hefty balance sheet ($3,000,000 in US revenues). This likable film won four Oscars, including Best Picture and also Best Actor for Ernest Borgnine. Overseas in Cannes it won the Golden Palm (Palme d'Or). In 1994, "Marty" was selected for permanent preservation in the National Film Registry.

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.