Review of Marty (1955) by Jamie T — 21 Apr 2010

It's difficult to imagine a film like this being made these days; the plot, the characters, and the dialogue is simple by modern standards, but even with the lack of subtlety required for audiences at the time to comprehend the film, it retains its effectiveness.

Even if the viewer isn't an overweight, unattractive, 35-year-old butcher who lives with his mother, it's difficult not to feel the titular character's pain when continues to make disparaging inventories of himself while everyone else around him probes every defect they can find.

Again, modern audiences won't find it funny, but it's plain to see why it worked so well at the time since everything else has aged well.