Only the Lonely (1991)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Danny Muldoon (John Candy), is a happy-go-lucky, overweight police officer who has never really had a girlfriend, mostly because his mother Rose (Maureen O'Hara) doesn't want him to.His younger brother Patrick (Kevin Dunn) is married with three children something which Danny (on some level) has always wanted but has never admitted that he wants.And so, he lives his life out in the company of his mother (who won't admit she's going blind even as she's pouring orange juice into her coffee), his partner Salvatore Bounarte (James Belushi), whom his mother tolerates but doesn't approve of, and his two old pub friends Doyle (Milo O'Shea) and Spats (Bert Remsen), both lifelong bachelors who have nothing left but each other.Shy, and diffident with women, Danny has resigned himself to his ordinary existence.The only excitement in his life being the advances Nick Acropolis (Anthony Quinn) makes on his mother, which she stubbornly resists.Then he meets Teresa Luna (Ally Sheedy), a lonely mortitian's daughter who spends her days applying makeup on corpses, and a heartwarming romance ensues. Danny buys tickets to the Opera, and an expensive suit to impress his new girlfriend (which, of course does not go unnoticed by his mother)."You must care a lot about this girl. New suit. Ballet. Fancy schmantzy."It's not long before Danny (fighting his hysterical bouts of guilt), alienates Theresa by being too attached to Rose.Rose, of course, does nothing to improve the situation but instead makes it worse, so that finally, Theresa leaves altogether, and Danny is force to make a choice.This is a great little movie.Hysterical, true to life, and exceptionally well done.John Candy was always one of my favorite actors, and this was definitely one of his best movies.Maureen O'Hara is great, and the subplot with Anthony Quinn really adds a lot to the story.The rest of the supporting cast is excellent, and the theme song by Roy Orbison really caps it.Originally, Review #35Posted On: October 20, 2009

After Maureen O'Hara died last month, I suddenly got the urge to order this-her last theatrical movie-from Netflix for me and my mom to watch when she came back from visiting my sister in Seattle. I was wonderfully surprised to find out my mom hadn't previously seen this as that meant she would watch this with fresh eyes as I had seen this on VHS tape back in the day and remember enjoying this at the time. We both very much loved this just now. I mean, Ms. O'Hara is her lovable self-provided her character is a tad bigoted though she's simply "telling it like it is". Her son, John Candy-another performer who's been missed since he passed away only a few years after this movie-is a cop who lives with her and has been quite lonely as a result. Then one day, he meets Ally Sheedy as someone who does makeup on deceased bodies when they're both at a wake and he bravely asks her out which she accepts. I'll stop there and just mention that some complications ensue but things seem to work out at the end. Fine support from Jim Belushi as Candy's cop partner and Anthony Quinn as a neighbor who is crushing on Ms. O'Hara. Written and directed by Chris Columbus, he does a nice mixing of drama and comedy when the sequences call for it and also makes good use of the Chicago locations (a city I was born in and lived as a child for about 6 years as well as one I visited quite a bit during the '80s). Anyway, Only the Lonely is a fine tribute to the careers of both Candy and O'Hara before their untimely deaths. Oh, and Quinn as well before he passed several years later.

Danny Muldoon (John Candy) is a good natured Chicago cop living with his racist mother Rose (Maureen O'Hara). He's always worried about his mom. She keeps rejecting the flirty Greek Nick Acropolis (Anthony Quinn). He and his partner Salvatore Buonarte (James Belushi) drive the prisoner wagon. His brother Patrick is happy to have Danny take care of mom and moving them to Florida. Danny falls for Theresa Luna (Ally Sheedy) who works at her father's funeral parlor. She's also lonely and extremely shy.It's a light rom-com with lovable John Candy. Ally Sheedy is pretty quiet. I really love both actors and they project simple nice people. O'Hara has the funniest jokes. Surprisingly she is hilarious and provides the majority of the laughs. It's a shame that she disappeared from the movies for such a long time. She's the true breakout star of this movie.

When I first started seeing this excellent 1991 film, I was reminded of Ernest Borgnine's "Marty," of 1955 fame.John Candy plays an over-sized Chicago police officer who is really dominated by an excellent Maureen O'Hara. She is funny, bigoted and a real hoot with that Irish brogue which serves her so well in the film.The film is a good one as it attempts to deal when a son is left with a widowed mother. His brother, an attorney, has wed. Both just want to find fault when Candy meets and falls for Ally Sheedy, a make-up artist at a local funeral parlor.The film both comically and seriously shows the ups and downs of the relationship. O'Hara almost does an excellent job in coming between the couple.Of course, there is always Florida as a solution to a senior citizen,along with romance with the next-door neighbor-Anthony Quinn. The love conquers all theme is most endearing to this charming film.