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Only the Lonely

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Only the Lonely

PG-13

Released May 31, 1991

1h 45m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Rose (Maureen O'Hara) dearly loves her adult son, Danny (John Candy) -- but when Danny meets Theresa (Ally Sheedy) and falls deeply in love, Ruth feels threatened. Desperate not to lose her son to the shy young woman, Ruth uses dirty tactics to keep the two apart. Danny is perplexed as to what he should do, so he consults his friends Patrick (Kevin Dunn) and Sal (James Belushi), who give him some skewed advice. Now Danny is torn between what his loved ones advise, and what his heart tells him.

Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Columbus... enhances the comedic bits with commentary on the human condition: the emergence of male-female love; the silver cord between mother and son; the plight of aging single men whose only ties are their pub companions.

Jun 12, 2018

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 2.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Ends with incredible sweetness. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 8, 2022

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

A pretty easy ride, almost entirely because of John Candy and the miraculous casting of Maureen O'Hara.

Rated: 6/10

Nov 14, 2011

Full Review

Brian Orndorf

BrianOrndorf.com

Orchestrates a peaceful stream of gags and one-liners while piecing together a puzzle of broken hearts...one of Columbus's best films, and easily ranks as Candy's most dimensional performance. He's a joy to watch here.

Rated: B+

May 24, 2011

Full Review

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Munkhchimeg T

The movie that shows really well about the insecurity and overcoming

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/24

Full Review

Cristina G

A fairy tale -- I love this! Who would know?! John Candy had leading-man charisma! And as for Ally Sheedy, ahhh, I had a big crush on her during the brat-pack days and after. Ally was a very talented and fascinating actress. I wish she had done more interesting work. (I re-watched this movie because of the doco "Brats".)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/26/24

Full Review

Les L

Aside from some racial stereotypes, the underlying story is great and directed well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

Full Review

S R

Really great heartwarming movie from John Candy. Nice seeing him in a romantic comedy where he could show off some acting skills.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/05/23

Full Review

Steve D

Far more uncomfortable than funny.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Minerva S

I love this movie. Candy is great & O'Hara sounds just like my mom (she would play the part exactly the same way, lol.)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/17/22

Full Review

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Chris Columbus

Director

John Candy

Danny Muldoon

Maureen O'Hara

Rose Muldoon

Ally Sheedy

Theresa Luna

Kevin Dunn

Patrick Muldoon

Milo O'Shea

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Synopsis

Rose (Maureen O'Hara) dearly loves her adult son, Danny (John Candy) -- but when Danny meets Theresa (Ally Sheedy) and falls deeply in love, Ruth feels threatened. Desperate not to lose her son to the shy young woman, Ruth uses dirty tactics to keep the two apart. Danny is perplexed as to what he should do, so he consults his friends Patrick (Kevin Dunn) and Sal (James Belushi), who give him some skewed advice. Now Danny is torn between what his loved ones advise, and what his heart tells him.

Director: Chris Columbus
Producer: John Hughes, Hunt Lowry
Screenwriter: Chris Columbus
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox, Hughes Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 31, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.9M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby SR, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm