

Marty

Marty, a butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother is unmarried at 34. Good-natured but socially awkward he faces constant badgering from family and friends to get married but has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood. Marty meets Clara, an unattractive school teacher, realising their emotional connection, he promises to call but family and friends try to convince him not to.
This won 4 Academy Awards in 1955 including Best Picture and Best Leading Actor. It is one of those rare films where Hollywood decided to look at the average rather than look for what they thought was sexy, alluring, pushing the envelope when Playboy magazine was becoming an entire empire and industry. it's also at a time when smart women were starting to be vilified and sexy, evil or dumb, and the leading female role is educated. thoughtful and working (as a teacher, it's still the 1950s).
It's short compared to movies of today, but it's heart warming. Ernest Borgnine is phenomenal and his career was launched with this movie.