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Only the Lonely



Only the Lonely (1991)

Director/ Writer: Chris Columbus
Stars: John Candy, Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy
Genre: Romance Comedy Drama
Length: 104 minutes


A lonely Chicago cop (John Candy) pursues a relationship with a shy, introverted girl (Ally Sheedy) against the wishes of his overbearing Irish mother, (Maureen O'Hara).

I mostly liked this film, which has many similarities to the 1955 film Marty. I wish the Irish mother had not been such a stereo type and had been less nasty. But it was good to see Maureen O'Hara back on the big screen after a 20 year retirement. Maureen who's career stretches back to 1938, was excellent in this.


Veteran actors Maureen O'Hara and Anthony Quinn have a love-hate relationship as a subplot.

I liked Ally Sheedy as the shy, introverted girl who couldn't look anyone in the eye and hid away from the world. She looked the part and that's the type of character she's good at playing too. But after the first scenes, the film forgets about all that and the next time we see her she's been babe-afied and lost all of her introverted shyness. Sure she looks good, but the film losses the whole interesting aspect of someone who hides away from the world.


A promo photo. One of the highlights of the film is the real world shooting in a old suburb of Chicago. This really adds to the films look.

Of course this is John Candy's film. And unlike many of his other films, he plays it straight here. This is more of a drama than a comedy. Maureen O'Hara was unsure about her return to film, until she meet costar John Candy...she took an instant liking to him and signed on the spot. She told John that he reminded her of another great dramatic-comedic actor, Charles Laughton and that "underneath the clown character had existed a powerful, complicated actor."

Maureen told Candy to trust in himself as an actor and in his ability to act dramatically, here he takes her advice.

If the script had been tighter with more character development and some of the problems ironed out, this would rate higher, still it's a good one to watch.




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