Curly Sue

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Curly Sue

PG

1991

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

13%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Bill (James Belushi) is a penniless drifter who scams strangers out of just enough money to feed himself and his partner in crime, an orphan girl known as Curly Sue (Alisan Porter). Bill and Curly Sue target Grey (Kelly Lynch), a yuppie lawyer, but their con takes an unexpected turn when the successful woman begins to like the ramshackle duo. She decides to take the girl in and falls in love with Bill, but there's one problem -- Grey's jealous, conniving boyfriend, Walker (John Getz).

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

01/01/2000

3/4

Curly Sue is a cornball, soupy, syrupy, sentimental exercise in audience manipulation, but that's the good news, because this is a movie that works.

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Harriet Waugh

The Spectator

07/19/2018

Everyone who has to do with it -- particularly John Hughes, the writer, director and producer of it -- should be ashamed.

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

11/18/2011

5/10

The film has a desperately cutesy-pie charm that drips with flop sweat.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

08/10/2011

C

A disappointingly sentimental and shallow film from John Hughes about the homeless

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Randy White

Common Sense Media

01/02/2011

3/5

A violent, offensive comedy.

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

04/21/2007

F

Reprehensible from start to finish, and utterly manipulative and mindless to boot.

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Kevin B

Oct 23

Could very well be the worst film that I have seen in my life. Can't say for sure, but certainly up there. Can't believe that Roger Ebert gave it a high rating! I found it to be pure drivel. I am aware that we are expected to suspend disbelief when watching a movie, but this is too far. In real life, this would never happen.

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Jason R

Oct 6

Don't understand how this is so low rated by others, it's a good story, one of John Hughes most underrated films i guess going by the rating, give it a watch

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Hadley H

Aug 24

changed my life forever. if you haven’t seen this, or you dont like it, you are missing out.

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Blu B

Jul 24

It's ok I guess. It starts out unclear, jumpy, unfunny, and cliche characters. However once they settle in the apartment it does get better honestly. It does feel like though stuff just happens at times though it does get more focused on the the three of them. The humor is 70% flat 30% gets laugh. The music is very forgettable and sappy. Hughes direction is pretty basic stuff here and I really can't tell this is the master of some of the greatest coming of age stories and comedies of the 1980's. It lacks of of the sharpness and developed characters of his other works. Sometimes the acting feels like their sleepwalking also but Belushi has decent chemistry with Lynch. There's basic character arcs, it's predictable, and honestly I'm really struggling to find anything else to say. It's a very forgettable inoffensive family comedy that lacks sorely in the comedy. Skip this. Not terrible but nothing really good here. Sad to think John Hughes had sold out and stopped caring by this point.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 May 31

Unsuccessful comedy movie in 1 hour and 42 minutes!!!!!!!!!!

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Allison M

Feb 27

I can't believe I'm only finding this movie in 2025! It's an excellent and heartwarming movie that never drags. If you're a woman, you'll love it! If you're a guy, then it depends. But it's a great watch!

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John Hughes

Director

Jim Belushi

Bill Dancer

Kelly Lynch

Grey Ellison

Alisan Porter

Curly Sue

John Getz

Walker McCormick

Fred Dalton Thompson

Bernard Oxbar

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Synopsis

Bill (James Belushi) is a penniless drifter who scams strangers out of just enough money to feed himself and his partner in crime, an orphan girl known as Curly Sue (Alisan Porter). Bill and Curly Sue target Grey (Kelly Lynch), a yuppie lawyer, but their con takes an unexpected turn when the successful woman begins to like the ramshackle duo. She decides to take the girl in and falls in love with Bill, but there's one problem -- Grey's jealous, conniving boyfriend, Walker (John Getz).

Director: John Hughes
Producer: John Hughes
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 25, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $29.7M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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