The Lonely Guy (1984)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Bruce Jay Friedman (book)
Neil Simon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 January 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Please don't turn him down.

Plot:

A writer for a greeting card company learns the true meaning of loneliness when he comes home to find his girlfriend in bed with another man.

Plot Keywords:

Single | Greeting Card | Book | Loneliness | Writer

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Larry Hubbard
Charles Grodin	...	Warren Evans
Judith Ivey	...	Iris
Steve Lawrence	...	Jack Fenwick
Robyn Douglass	...	Danielle
Merv Griffin	...	Himself
Joyce Brothers	...	Herself (as Dr. Joyce Brothers)
Candi Brough	...	Schneider Twin
Randi Brough	...	Schneider Twin
Julie Payne	...	Rental Agent
Madison Arnold	...	Lonely Cop
Roger Robinson	...	Greeting Card Supervisor
Dan Hannafin	...	Park Guard (as Daniel P. Hannafin)
Joan Suveny	...	Girl in Blood Bank
Nicholas Mele	...	Maitre D'

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Aspen Film Society

Trivia:

The film features cameo appearances from Merv Griffin, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Loni Anderson.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Warren and Larry are standing on the street with their ferns talking the NYPD police car 807 drives by and then drives by again a second time five seconds later.

Quotes:

Lonely Cop: Listen, I really don't have to use the can I just want to ask you, where do you get these things?
[the cardboard people]
Lonely Cop: They're fantastic?
Larry Hubbard: You mean you're a...
Lonely Cop: Yeah, a lonely cop.
Larry Hubbard: A lonely cop? Aww. You get them at The Lonely Guy's store at 81st and Lex.
Lonely Cop: Do they have Gene Hackman?
Larry Hubbard: Uh,
[to Warren who's in the kitchen]
Larry Hubbard: Hey Warren! Does The Lonely Guy's store have Gene Hackman?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Rocky (1976)

Soundtrack:

The Lonely Guy

For "Anyone Who Had a Heart"

I'd call this a small masterpiece.

I usually watch just ten minutes of a movie, find it boring, then discard it. Or, I fast forward through great big sections of a film and get satisfaction from the leftover bits and pieces. With this one I never once reached for the fast forward button. It is charming, touching, lovely, hilarious and satisfying. One cares deeply for the characters played by Martin and Grodin and wants happiness to come their way.

The sadness never overwhelms because the lighthearted scenes make for a perfect balance.

You could go through a whole row at Blockbuster and not find a gem like this one. If you have even just a touch of a tender heart, by all means rent this one.