Marty
Miserable people want miserable friends.
Lonely people want lonely company.
This movie is a fascinating time capsule of the ills in the dating world of the 1950s and it’s incredible how many parallels I could point to in the modern world. It is a great portrayal of how selfishness looks in different aspects of life. From friends, to cousins, and even parents, selfishness can look many different ways in the face of loneliness. That fear is consuming, and drives them into self-preservation over empathy.
That’s the real root it exposes. Loneliness can push people into utilitarianism, casting the pains of their life onto those around them. Everyone was more than happy to dump their problems onto Marty. His friend would leave Marty behind for a girl but was sore when it happened to him. His cousin asks a huge favor but can’t be bothered to return a small favor in the form of financial advice. His mom would nitpick his lifestyle until she saw it would cost her what she found comfortable if he got what he wanted.
Marty is a simple film on the surface, but has deep messages about what it means to be truly kind. Being nice means showing up when it’s convenient, being kind is having compassion even when it costs your own comfort.