Delirious

PG

Released Aug 9, 1991

1h 36m

Comedy

Fantasy

List

29%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

39%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Jack Gable (John Candy), a soap opera writer with little in the way of a love life -- and even less job security -- takes a knock on the head one day and wakes up in the very television show he has been writing. He discovers that through his typewriter he can control events in his new reality. At first, Jack believes this will help him impress Laura (Emma Samms), the actress who plays the program's star, but soon he realizes that no matter how much power he has, he can't control everything.

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Critics Consensus

Delirious benefits from John Candy's sweet screen presence, but it's nowhere near enough to compensate for a woefully unfunny script.

Read Critics Reviews

Steve Murray

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

To its credit, "Delirious" has a sweet affability, even at its most predictable.

Jun 29, 2021

Full Review

Ellen Futterman

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

While there are some pleasant, even funny, moments, many of the gags are of the "slapschtick" variety, with much too much slap and no real memorable schtick.

Jun 29, 2021

Full Review

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Often... the script and the all-thumbs direction of Tom Mankiewicz leave Candy and the rest of the cast (Mariel Hemingway, Emma Samms, David Rasche, Raymond Burr) stranded.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 29, 2021

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

In Delirious, everything is like a telenovela. Strictly on a diet of absurdity, the film loses comedy and ends up being annoying. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 9, 2022

Full Review

Bill Cosford

Miami Herald

The soaps remain safe - so far the real things are dependably funnier than the movies about them.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 29, 2021

Full Review

Joe Baltake

Sacramento Bee

John Candy and company may have been loudly struggling and straining on screen to find even a smidgen of humor in the pathetic plot, but you could hear a pin drop in the theater.

Jun 29, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Steve D

Hemingway and the premise are great the rest is bad.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/10/23

Full Review

Michael

This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. John Candy gives one his funniest performances. I just liked the concept that he could change the story with his magic typewriter. There is romantic chemistry with Marielle Hemingway. Raymond Burr is funny too. I know this movie got a lot of negative reviews and a brief appearance in theaters, but I found it very funny.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/13/23

Full Review

Christina W

I love this movie. It is funny and was a perfect vehicle for John Candy. Worth watching!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Chris M

Candy is a really great actor and deserves a much better script than what he got for this movie. The idea should be a homerun. I mean, it's basically the wizard of oz, but only as a soap opera. Where I really got lost was with the magic typewriter. The filmmakers were trying way too hard to make this work for the movie when really it should have been cut out all together. You can read my full review here https://themoviemann.com/delirious/

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/18/22

Full Review

Meri and T

I liked it a lot, I don't really watch romance movies that often, Because they make me feel like crap, But this once just had something about it that made it special.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/22

Full Review

Audience Member

I love this movie, so tongue in cheek. It was hilarious. I've seen it so many times John Candy was so good.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

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Tom Mankiewicz

Director

John Candy

Jack Gable

Mariel Hemingway

Janet Dubois

Emma Samms

Rachel Hedison

Raymond Burr

Carter Hedison

Dylan Baker

Blake Hedison

Show Less Cast & Crew

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Delirious: Official Clip - Don't Write Drunk

2:11

Delirious: Official Clip - I'm the Lox

2:07

Delirious: Official Clip - Robert Wagner!

2:24

Delirious: Official Clip - I Created This Whole Town

1:54

Delirious: Official Clip - Horseback Riding

2:13

Delirious: Official Clip - A Game Called Trust

1:59

Delirious: Official Clip - The Cable Guy

2:13

Delirious: Official Clip - Beyond Our Dreams

2:00

Delirious: Official Clip - Nervous, Huh?

2:01

Delirious: Official Clip - Jack's Personal Hell

1:27

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Synopsis

Jack Gable (John Candy), a soap opera writer with little in the way of a love life -- and even less job security -- takes a knock on the head one day and wakes up in the very television show he has been writing. He discovers that through his typewriter he can control events in his new reality. At first, Jack believes this will help him impress Laura (Emma Samms), the actress who plays the program's star, but soon he realizes that no matter how much power he has, he can't control everything.

Director: Tom Mankiewicz
Producer: Lawrence J. Cohen, Fred Freeman, Doug Claybourne
Screenwriter: Lawrence J. Cohen, Fred Freeman
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 1991, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.7M
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Surround

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