Only the Lonely

PG-13

Released May 31, 1991

1 hr. 45 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

65%

23 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

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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

Audience Member

I have always loved this movie. I empathized with John Candy's character Danny Muldoon, as he had been relegated to be his mother's care-taker. After putting his younger brother through college so that he could have the career, wife, and children that Danny Muldoon longed for. I know this film isn't for everybody, but I identified with it and enjoyed it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

jon c

The beloved Chris Columbus of 'Home Alone' and 'Harry Potter' fame tells a story about love for the ones whom have not had it yet The late John Candy plays Danny, a police officer in Chicago Sadly he's 38 years old and still living with his overbearing mother, the late Maureen O' Hara as Rose So he decides to find love and unexpectedly he runs into Ally Sheedy's Theresa who works as a funeral official, she's developed an introverted sense of uncomfortability since she works 8 hours a day with the deceased and is relieved to actually socialize with living people But it's not smooth sailing as of course as Rose feels neglected by her sons happiness She feels she must interject in her sons potential for happiness but later on we see where she gets such bitterness from Danny seeks advice from his best friend Jim Belushi's Sal to smooth things over although now Danny is torn between his hearts desire and his buddy's heeding words Always telling it like it is hurts people without us knowing it, people stand outside in line cause there's no one else to talk to, we have to learn to stand up and fight for our loved ones being ripped apart in front of us, we should make sure we're in love to make sure it's real, it's important to put others first and learn to let others go Candy and Sheedy have unique chemistry, there's some good laughs, and even a lot of the drama is quite touching There's commentary too on the human condition involving the unbreakable severing of mother and son, lonely aging men who's only companions are drinking compatriots, and the emergence of love Its the piecing together of broken hearts in a broken man of a broken family that Columbus does well with Keep in mind this isn't a straight up comedy but there are a handful of laughs to be had with the heavy stuff, too

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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

Doyle

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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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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
Executive Producer: Tarquin Gotch
Screenwriter: Chris Columbus
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Hughes Entertainment, 20th Century Fox
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
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby SR, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm