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Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli, Joe Mantell ... see more see more... , Karen Steele , Jerry Paris , Frank Sutton , Walter Kelley , Robin Morse , James Bell , Charles Cane , Joe De Santis , John Milford , Silvio Minciotti , Betsy Palmer , Nehemiah Persoff , Minerva Urecal , Alan Wells

Paddy Chayefsky's Oscar-winning slice-of-life drama originated as a live 1953 broadcast directed by Delbert Mann on The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse starring Rod Steiger and Nancy Marchand. Th... read more read more...e Hecht-Lancaster movie version, also directed by Mann, replaces the two leads with Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair (as well as featuring several soon-to-be-familiar faces, including Jerry Paris, Frank Sutton, and Karen Steele, plus Joe Mantell, Nehemiah Persoff, and Betsy Palmer from the TV version). But it remains otherwise intact, telling of 24 very important hours in the lives of two lonely people. Marty is a bittersweet, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and always realistic comedy-drama about Marty Pilletti (Ernest Borgnine), a 34-year-old Bronx butcher. Approaching middle-age as a burly, somewhat overweight man who has no illusions about himself or his attractiveness to women, Marty looks forward to just one thing in life -- buying his boss's butcher shop and trying to make a success in business -- and he's even uncertain about that. A gentle, good-natured man, he lives with his mother (Esther Minciotti), a kind but emotionally smothering woman, in a too-large house and spends his time with a small circle of dead-end friends (Joe Mantell, Frank Sutton). One Friday night, Marty's mother convinces him to go to the Stardust Ballroom, where he meets a plain-looking schoolteacher named Clara (Betsy Blair), whose life appears to mirror his own -- she lives with her father, and is frightened about the one prospect she has for advancement in her job. Meeting her after witnessing a humiliating rejection by her blind date, Marty acts on his best impulses and asks Clara to dance, and soon they are actually enjoying each other's company. She is as drawn to him as he is to her, but both are so uncertain about putting themselves at risk emotionally, that the evening almost ends badly when he tries to kiss her -- but they agree to talk on the phone and go to a movie the next night. But whatever good feelings he has about Clara are soon threatened by his friends' put-downs of her, and his mother's hostility, driven by her sudden panic that if Marty marries, she'll be left living alone. Marty spends the next day alone and never does call Clara, seemingly having decided that it's best to leave well enough alone. That is, until he takes a good long look at his life, and a listen to his friends -- and he suddenly makes the decision to try for true happiness, wherever it leads. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

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86% liked it

5,840 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

28 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Delbert Mann

Release Date: April 11, 1955

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DVD Release Date: June 19, 2001

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Stats: 435 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (435)

  • cosmo313
    February 18, 2012
    cosmo313
    Marty Pilletti is a shy and lonely 34 year-old Butcher from the Bronx who still lives at home with his mother, and has spent his entire life being awkward and uncomfortable around women.

    His luck begins to change when he happens to meet a school teacher named Clara Snyder who im... read moremediately grabs his attention. She's just as shy, lonely, and unlucky with the opposite gender, and just as smitten with him as he is with her.

    Despite a newfound feeling of happiness, Marty begins to second guess his feelings, espeically since it seems that none of his friends or family can seem to have anything nice to say about her. Ultimately though, Marty fidns the courage to stick to his conventions, knowing that he's really got nothing to lose.

    Written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Delbert Mann, this is an utterly charming and heartwarming little film. It's simple, straight forward, and there's nothing at all wrong with that. You could draw comparisons to a newer film like The 40 Year-Old Virgin, and that's okay, but this is a far classier affair, with far subtler humor, to boot.

    I really enjoyed this, but at the same time felt a little disappointed. Going into it, I was under the impression that I was supposed to be blown away by it, mostly because it won top honors at both the Oscars and Cannes, but, even though the film ended up not being as remarkable at anticipated, it's still a pretty solid piece of work.

    Ernest Borgnine won an Oscar for his work here, and it truly is one of his standout roles, which is really saying something given his long, and varied career filled with some tremendous performances. Betsy Blair is also quite nice as Clara, but what really helps sell this film besides hte wonderful leads are the nice supporting turns from the colorful supporting cast that make up Marty's family and friends.

    All in all, this is a wonderful film and, while it's not quite a masterpiece, it's nevertheless a really heartfelt movie with a lot to offer.
  • kenstachnik
    January 30, 2012
    kenstachnik
    Another big film to cross off my shame list. Totally charming and worth everyone's time.
  • fb100002359227440
    May 17, 2011
    fb100002359227440
    Marty is a wonderful film! The great screenplay of Paddy Chayefsky, makes the audience stay to see the simple life of the main character to the begining to the end. Ernest Borgnine as Marty is perfect. The best of hollywood. Fresh.
  • flixsterman
    January 29, 2011
    flixsterman
    Ernest Borgnine's signature role and a highlight of his eclectic filmography.
  • FrizzDrop
    November 23, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    Deserved all the accolades, for it was both heart tugging and quite romantic, Marty is something of a winner without legs, running on empty, fueled only by the insightful performances and cast, so amazing in their average looks and fears, just what is needed to complete this lega... read morecy of film.
  • ajv2688
    November 10, 2010
    ajv2688
    A really good movie with Borgnine, I'm sure many people can relate to his situation. I really liked this movie.
  • rubystevens
    April 11, 2010
    rubystevens
    sweet, affecting and timeless story of ordinary people. thx to everyone who recommended this :)
  • tsigur
    October 31, 2009
    tsigur
    Well written, simple film with an amazing performance by the great Ernest Borgnine. It's just too bad that the plot is paper thin.
  • 5oclockcoffee
    May 8, 2009
    5oclockcoffee
    A great and subtly comedy/drama about common people. Just as life it is, neither more nor less.
  • pier007
    October 30, 2008
    pier007
    A triumph of the heart and spirit over social standards.
    Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay is gold on everybody's mouth, but especially in a magnificent Ernest Borgnine, as the modest and kind-hearted italian american butcher whose romantic life is far from idyllic.
    Delbert Mann's dir... read moreection shines for its simplicity and good judgment.
    One of the warmest, most touching and rewarding self-examinations and sentimental recollections I have experienced with a motion picture.

View All Marty Reviews

Critic Reviews

February 18, 2009
TIME Magazine

Ernest Borgnine as Marty lives up to all the promise he showed as the sadist in From Here to Eternity, and at the same time brilliantly shatters the type-cast he molded for himself in that picture. Full Review

Ronald Holloway
February 19, 2008
Ronald Holloway, Variety

It's a warm, human, sometimes sentimental and an enjoyable experience. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
December 12, 2006
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Paddy Chayevsky's script, adapted from his own TV play, shows his flair for dialogue at its best, and the film manages to be touching, if minor. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

A warm and winning film, full of the sort of candid comment on plain, drab people that seldom reaches the screen. Full Review

February 20, 2008
Empire Magazine

Enormously influential, it spawned Hollywood's interest in smaller scale, prosaic dramas, few of which failed to match its resonance. Full Review

February 19, 2008
Film4

Chayevsky's TV drama transferred effortlessly to cinema. Full Review

December 12, 2006
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Dowdy but winning and poignant. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
November 8, 2006
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

Ernest Borgning and Betsy Blair are the highlights of this short and unassuming picture about the trials of love and family. Full Review

Derek Adams
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

It does have doggy charm and a certain perceptiveness. Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
May 2, 2006
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

Too self-conscious by half, the film both invites you in and makes you wonder if it's not all a trick. Full Review

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    • Angie: What do you feel like doing tonight?
    • Marty Pilletti: I don?t know, Ange. What do you feel like doing?
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Marty Trivia

  • In Back to the Future, when Marty travels back in time, what does Lorraine think his name is?  Answer »
  • In Back to the Future, Marty had to be at a certain place at a certain time when lightning stuck. What was going to be struck by lightning?  Answer »
  • In the movie Grease, Rizzo, Frenchy, Jan and Marty were in a girl gang called?  Answer »
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