It\u2019s hard to deny that Marty, played by the famously bulldog-faced Ernest Borgnine, doesn\u2019t have much going for him at first glance in the dating arena. He\u2019s keenly aware that his looks aren\u2019t what many girls are looking for, and his self-esteem is in the basement. He works as a butcher, which isn\u2019t the most romantic profession for the discerning New York gal. There\u2019s an early scene where he finally works up the courage to call a girl he met a month previously \u2013 first he has to prompt her several times until she actually remembers him, then he offers up a series of alternate times in desperation after she tries to gently turn him down by claiming she\u2019s not available.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We only hear his side of the conversation, but it\u2019s still one of the most painful asking-out scenes in all of cinema, and it perfectly sums up what Marty is working with. He\u2019s lonely, and he feels like he\u2019s never going to find someone. And it certainly doesn\u2019t help that everyone in his life, from his mother to random customers at the butcher shop, make him feel constant pressure to settle down and get married. Between this pressure and the relentlessness of rejection that we can see almost as a physical weight on his shoulders, one thing is clear: Marty is going through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the women in his life make him feel terrible, his male friends aren\u2019t much better. We\u2019re presented with Marty<\/em> from the male perspective, showing how hard it is for him to find a girlfriend, but at the same time, every man in this film (besides Marty) seems to think they\u2019re owed the most beautiful girl in the room. Our introduction to Clara (played by Betsy Blair, whose status as unattractive in this film is a bit galling) is through her date griping to his friend about being set up with an ugly girl; he then pays off a stranger to take her home so he can leave with a different girl. Marty\u2019s best friend Angie complains about how the dance hall has nothing but dogs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the day after Marty has a transformative night with Clara, they deride him for spending time with her. The climax comes when Marty rejects what he\u2019s been socialized to believe about women and relationships\u2014that it doesn\u2019t matter if his friends find her attractive, because he sees something special in Clara. \u201cAll 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 and I’m gonna beg that girl to marry me,\u201d he says defiantly to Angie. \u201cIf we make a party on New Year’s, I got a date for that party. You don’t like her? That’s too bad!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last part of this line speaks to how much loneliness plays a key role in Marty\u2019s life. Yes, Marty and Clara click because they\u2019re both kind, sensitive people who can empathize with one another over the way they\u2019ve been treated by the world. They\u2019re willing to look beneath the surface and give the person a chance. But there\u2019s also the sheer sense of relief at the idea that if things work out, they have a date for every party they\u2019re ever invited to. They never have to go alone, standing awkwardly in the corner and trying to think of a way to approach people. The concept of the male loneliness epidemic is often applied to romantic relationships, but it\u2019s just as much about companionship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So for all the folks out there trying not to get sucked into the whirling, self-defeating vortex of the male loneliness epidemic, look to Marty: This guy\u2019s going to be your role model. Yes, it\u2019s anxiety-provoking to put yourself out there and risk rejection, and it\u2019s unfair that some people may not feel compelled to give you a chance even if you think you deserve it. But if you want to share your life with someone, you can\u2019t just stay at home watching Hit Parade<\/em> (or its 21st century equivalent); you have to be an active participant and actually try to meet people. If Marty can do it, anyone can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Marty” is available on Amazon Prime Video<\/a> and several ad-based streamers<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/marty2-1024x667.webp\")
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