The Lonely Guy

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The Lonely Guy

R

Released Jan 27, 1984

1h 30m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

50%

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22 Reviews

47%

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2,500+ Ratings

Larry Hubbard (Steve Martin), who pens greeting cards for a living, is lonely after his longtime girlfriend's infidelity leads to the end of their relationship. When not commiserating with fellow loner Warren (Charles Grodin), Larry spends his time pursuing Iris (Judith Ivey), but the relationship seems doomed. Larry decides to channel his feelings into writing a book, which becomes a bestselling guide to the lonely life. Suddenly he's famous -- but all he really wants is to be with Iris.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Martin's trademark wacky humor is fitfully in evidence, but seems much more repressed than usual in order to fit into the relatively realistic world of single working people.

Oct 3, 2007

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The kind of movie that seems to have been made to play in empty theaters on overcast January afternoons.

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

It tries a little bit of everything, and winds up with an air of messy desperation.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 30, 2004

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a reasonable-enough premise that’s employed to watchable yet entirely unremarkable effect...

Mar 28, 2024

Full Review

TV Guide

A mindless comedy that's about as funny as a life sentence in solitary confinement.

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 3, 2007

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Funny stuff.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 13, 2006

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Daniel M

Absolutely loved it and had some great writing with really smart jokes, Steve Martin was a lot of fun in this one!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

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kevin c

Steve Martin and Charles Grodin star in this film about a man (Martin) who is dumped by his girlfriend and meets Grodin, a man who teaches him how to navigate being a lonely guy. I love Steve Martin and while this isn't my favourite of his movies, it's still filled with many laughs and absurd situations.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If you're a Steve Martin fan (and I am) then you'll probably find this film lots of fun. Especially his trademark deadpan humor. Lots of laugh-out-loud moments, too. Don't take it too seriously - just have some fun.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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r 9

One of the best performances I've seen from Steve Martin. A charming film with good comedic moments.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Lonely Guy is another one of Steve Martin’s films that requires you to totally get on board with his sense of humor. Lucky for me, I tend to connect with his comedy quite well. The movie takes place in a heightened version of the real world, but it still touches on a number of things that people in the real world go through every day. It is built almost entirely around the idea of single men having difficulties when trying to find the right person for them. I got some good laughs from that idea, but it sometimes felt like the whole movie was a single elaborate joke stretched out for 90 minutes. But even the same joke repeated over and over again can be hilarious when it is delivered by Steve Martin and Charles Grodin. These guys are comedy gold and should have worked together more. The comedy dies down a bit when the romance plot starts. I was underwhelmed by that aspect of the story, even though I recognize it was necessary to reach a satisfying conclusion. The Lonely Guy might not be one of the great comedies, but it is a good one that I’d gladly watch again.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/19

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Audience Member

Ok Steve Martin entry, but really meshes with other entries of his at the time. The first two acts were fairly strong with the movie losing its luster in the third act.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/30/17

Full Review

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Arthur Hiller

Director

Steve Martin

Larry Hubbard

Charles Grodin

Warren Evans

Judith Ivey

Iris

Steve Lawrence

Jack Fenwick

Robyn Douglass

Danielle

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Synopsis

Larry Hubbard (Steve Martin), who pens greeting cards for a living, is lonely after his longtime girlfriend's infidelity leads to the end of their relationship. When not commiserating with fellow loner Warren (Charles Grodin), Larry spends his time pursuing Iris (Judith Ivey), but the relationship seems doomed. Larry decides to channel his feelings into writing a book, which becomes a bestselling guide to the lonely life. Suddenly he's famous -- but all he really wants is to be with Iris.

Director: Arthur Hiller
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Runtime: 1h 30m

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