Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Only the Lonely

  • 1991
  • PG-13
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, and John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
Theatrical Trailer from 20th Century Fox
Play trailer2:21
1 Video
29 Photos
ComedyRomance

A Chicago cop must balance loyalty to his overbearing mother and a relationship with a shy funeral home worker.A Chicago cop must balance loyalty to his overbearing mother and a relationship with a shy funeral home worker.A Chicago cop must balance loyalty to his overbearing mother and a relationship with a shy funeral home worker.

  • Director
    • Chris Columbus
  • Writer
    • Chris Columbus
  • Stars
    • John Candy
    • Maureen O'Hara
    • Ally Sheedy
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Chris Columbus
    • Writer
      • Chris Columbus
    • Stars
      • John Candy
      • Maureen O'Hara
      • Ally Sheedy
    • 64User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
    • 47Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Only the Lonely
    Trailer 2:21
    Watch Only the Lonely

    Photos29

    John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Ally Sheedy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Maureen O'Hara and John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, and John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Maureen O'Hara and John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, and John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Ally Sheedy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    John M. Watson Sr. in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Macaulay Culkin in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Ally Sheedy and John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Candy
    John Candy
    • Danny Muldoon
    Maureen O'Hara
    Maureen O'Hara
    • Rose Muldoon
    Ally Sheedy
    Ally Sheedy
    • Theresa Luna
    Kevin Dunn
    Kevin Dunn
    • Patrick Muldoon
    Milo O'Shea
    Milo O'Shea
    • Doyle
    Bert Remsen
    Bert Remsen
    • Spats
    Anthony Quinn
    Anthony Quinn
    • Nick Acropolis
    Jim Belushi
    Jim Belushi
    • Salvatore Buonarte
    • (as James Belushi)
    Joe Greco
    • Johnny Luna
    Marvin J. McIntyre
    Marvin J. McIntyre
    • Father Strapovic
    Macaulay Culkin
    Macaulay Culkin
    • Billy Muldoon
    Kieran Culkin
    Kieran Culkin
    • Patrick Muldoon Jr.
    Allen Hamilton
    Allen Hamilton
    • O'Neal
    Teri McEvoy
    • Susan Muldoon
    Bernie Landis
    • Larry
    Les Podewell
    • Jack
    John Davis Chandler
    John Davis Chandler
    • Duane Earl Tyrone
    • (as John Chandler)
    Martin Fisher
    • Chess Player
    • Director
      • Chris Columbus
    • Writer
      • Chris Columbus
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Who's Harry Crumb?
    5.9
    Who's Harry Crumb?
    Delirious
    5.8
    Delirious
    Canadian Bacon
    5.9
    Canadian Bacon
    Uncle Buck
    7.1
    Uncle Buck
    Summer Rental
    6.2
    Summer Rental
    Once Upon a Crime...
    5.8
    Once Upon a Crime...
    Armed and Dangerous
    5.7
    Armed and Dangerous
    The Great Outdoors
    6.6
    The Great Outdoors
    Heartbreak Hotel
    5.7
    Heartbreak Hotel
    Taking Care of Business
    6.4
    Taking Care of Business
    Brewster's Millions
    6.5
    Brewster's Millions
    Wagons East
    4.8
    Wagons East

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The producers of the film did not include a trailer on location for Maureen O'Hara in their budget. John Candy was furious that the producers were showing someone of her stature such disrespect, he gave her his own trailer. The producers finally caved in, because they couldn't have Candy, the star of the film, without his own trailer.
    • Goofs
      Danny's brother tells him he got Danny's boss to "transfer him to a precinct in Florida." City police departments are self governing -- there is no way anyone in the Chicago police department could transfer anyone to a precinct in another city.
    • Quotes

      Danny: [Danny has just scored a date with Theresa and runs into some funeral attendees] Yeah! Oh... sorry... but I just got lucky in there with a girl.

      [funeral attendees look shocked]

      Danny: Not in that way... she does everybody in there... not in that way. But she probably did that guy there... I gotta go.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: John Candy & Maureen O'Hara/Shirley Horn/Jim Valvano (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      Only the Lonely
      Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson

      Performed by Roy Orbison

      Courtesy of Sony Music Special Products, a division of

      Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.

    User reviews64

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Terrific performances...sentimental comedy on mother/son relationship...
    ONLY THE LONELY gives such rich roles to JOHN CANDY and MAUREEN O'HARA as an Irish mother and son enduring a love/hate relationship while his outspoken mother "tells it like it is" to anyone who stands between her and her son. This includes the girl he's smitten with, a shy, introverted type (ALLY SHEEN) who wants him to stop putting his mother first under any and all situations.

    He's constantly imagining bad things happening to his mother if he neglects her (and this leads to some funny, imaginative moments that have him imagining the nightmarish things that happen when he turns his back on her). All of these incidents are vividly portrayed and given substance and wit by a clever script and some very truthful performances from the entire cast.

    MAUREEN O'HARA is so perfect as the hateful mother with her bigoted view of "that Dago girl" that she should have had at least an Oscar nomination for her feisty portrayal. JOHN CANDY creates a really sympathetic character as the man hopelessly in love with the quiet girl his mother despises. ANTHONY QUINN gives a gentle, finely shaded performance of the man next door who loves Maureen from afar and JOHN BELUSHI is excellent as Candy's worker friend.

    It's a good mixture of comedy and drama that never becomes too mawkish or sentimental and exposes some of the hypocrisies of human nature that are not often shown on screen.

    Well worth watching for the performances alone.
    helpful•17
    0
    • Doylenf
    • Nov 30, 2006

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 24, 1991 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Irish Gaelic
      • Greek
    • Also known as
      • Tú, yo y mamá
    • Filming locations
      • Amtrak Railroad Station - 598 Dey Street, Niles, Michigan, USA(last scene)
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Hughes Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $21,830,957
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,997,993
      • May 27, 1991
    • Gross worldwide
      • $25,092,802
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, and John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Only the Lonely (1991) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.