Chris Columbus had just finished directing Home Alone. John Candy was the biggest comedic force on the planet. Maureen O'Hara, a literal legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood, was coming out of a twenty-year retirement. On paper, only the lonely the movie should have been a massive, era-defining blockbuster that stayed in the cultural zeitgeist forever.
Instead? People kinda forgot about it.
It’s a crime, honestly. If you haven’t seen it lately, or if you’ve never seen it at all, you’re missing out on what is arguably John Candy’s most nuanced, heartbreaking, and deeply human performance. This isn't the slapstick of Uncle Buck or the frantic energy of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It’s something quieter. It’s a movie about the suffocating weight of expectations and the terrifying prospect of finally growing up when you're already forty years old.
The Plot Nobody Gives Enough Credit To
Danny Muldoon is a Chicago cop. He’s a "good boy." He still lives with his mother, Rose, played by O'Hara with a ferocity that makes you want to hide under your bed. Their relationship is... complicated. It’s that classic Irish-Catholic dynamic where love and guilt are basically the same emotion.
Then Danny meets Theresa Luna.
Ally Sheedy plays Theresa, a shy, introverted woman who works in her father’s funeral home. She literally spends her days putting makeup on corpses because she’s too timid to deal with the living. When she and Danny connect, it’s awkward. It’s fumbling. It feels like a real date between two people who have been told by the world—and their parents—that they aren’t "main characters."
The conflict isn't some grand villainous scheme. It’s just Rose. She doesn’t want to be alone, and she uses every psychological trick in the book to keep Danny from leaving the nest. It’s a tug-of-war where the rope is made of guilt.
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Why John Candy Needed This Role
We all loved Candy for the laughs. The big guy with the big heart. But in only the lonely the movie, he shows us the cracks in that persona. You can see the exhaustion in Danny’s eyes. He loves his mother, but he’s drowning.
Columbus, who wrote and directed the film, actually wrote it specifically with Candy in mind. He saw the loneliness behind the comedy. There’s a scene where Danny is just sitting in the kitchen, eating, and the silence is deafening. You realize he’s been living his life for someone else for four decades. It’s heavy stuff for a movie that was marketed as a romantic comedy.
John Hughes produced this, and you can feel his DNA in the Chicago setting. But where Hughes often leaned into the "brat pack" or the suburban dream, this movie feels grittier. It feels like the South Side. It feels like old neighborhoods where families stay in the same three-block radius for generations.
The Return of Maureen O'Hara
Let’s talk about Maureen O'Hara. She hadn’t made a movie since 1971. She was the star of The Quiet Man and Miracle on 34th Street. To get her back, Columbus had to be persistent.
She is terrifyingly good as Rose.
She isn't a "movie" villain. She’s your aunt. She’s your neighbor. She’s the person who makes a passive-aggressive comment about your weight and then asks why you aren't eating the dinner she spent four hours cooking. O'Hara didn't lose a step in her two decades away. The chemistry between her and Candy is the heartbeat of the film. They fight like people who have been having the same argument since 1965.
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Surprising Details You Probably Missed
Most people don't realize how much of a "Chicago" movie this actually is. They filmed on location in places like the Holy Name Cathedral and the Near West Side. It captures a specific moment in the city’s history—the transition between the old world of ethnic enclaves and the modern world.
- The funeral home scenes? Filmed in a real mortuary.
- The score was done by Maurice Jarre, the guy who did Lawrence of Arabia. That’s why the music feels so much bigger and more emotional than your standard 90s rom-com.
- James Belushi and Anthony Quinn show up in supporting roles, giving the movie a weirdly high-caliber ensemble for what is essentially a small family drama.
The Critical Misstep in Marketing
So, why didn't it blow up?
The early 90s were weird. The studio didn't know how to sell it. Was it a John Candy comedy? A Maureen O'Hara comeback vehicle? A serious drama about enmeshment? They tried to sell it as a lighthearted romp, but the movie has teeth. It’s melancholic. It deals with death, aging, and the fear of being "left behind."
Audiences expecting Home Alone slapstick were confused. Critics, however, were kinder. Roger Ebert gave it three stars, noting that it was a "warm and gummy" movie but praising the performances. He was right. The performances save it from being too sentimental.
Real-World Impact and E-E-A-T Perspectives
Psychologists often point to films like this when discussing "enmeshment." That’s a fancy clinical term for when boundaries between family members are blurred or non-existent. Danny and Rose are the poster children for this.
Expert film historians often group only the lonely the movie with films like Marty (1955). Both deal with a lonely man trying to find love while dealing with a mother who doesn't want to let go. But while Marty won Best Picture, Only the Lonely became a cult classic that you mostly find on late-night cable or buried in streaming menus.
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It’s an honest look at the mid-life crisis that happens when you realize you’ve forgotten to start your own life.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re going to revisit this film, or watch it for the first time, don't go in expecting a laugh-a-minute comedy. Go in for the character study.
- Watch the background actors. The neighborhood feel is authentic. The "regulars" at the bars and the people on the street look like real Chicagoans, not Hollywood extras.
- Pay attention to the silence. The most powerful moments between Candy and Sheedy are the ones where they aren't saying anything. It’s two lonely souls realizing they’ve finally found someone who "gets" it.
- Analyze Rose’s tactics. If you’ve ever had a manipulative family member, O’Hara’s performance is a masterclass in the "guilt trip." It’s fascinating and painful to watch.
- Check the soundtrack. Beyond the Maurice Jarre score, the use of Roy Orbison’s "Only the Lonely" is obvious but perfect.
Where to Find It Today
Finding only the lonely the movie can be a bit of a hunt depending on which streaming service has the rights this month. It’s frequently on Disney+ or available for rent on Amazon and Apple.
It remains a testament to John Candy's range. He died only three years after this movie came out. Knowing that makes Danny’s search for happiness even more poignant. He was a man who gave so much joy to everyone else, and in this film, we see him finally trying to keep a little bit for himself.
Next Steps for the Movie Lover
- Locate a physical copy: This is one of those films that often disappears from streaming due to licensing. If you find a DVD or Blu-ray at a thrift store, grab it. The commentary tracks (if available) offer great insight into Columbus’s writing process.
- Compare with Marty: Watch the 1955 film Marty back-to-back with this. You’ll see how themes of loneliness and parental pressure have evolved (and stayed the same) over forty years.
- Explore John Candy’s dramatic side: If this hits home, track down his performance in JFK. He only has one scene, but it’s electric and further proves he was more than just a funny guy in a suit.