A Chicago cop must balance loyalty to his controlling mother and a relationship with a shy funeral home worker.
Rose (Maureen O'Hara) dearly loves her adult son, Danny (John Candy) -- but when Danny meets Theresa (Ally Sheedy) and falls deeply in love, Ruth feels threatened. Desperate not to lose her son to the shy young woman, Ruth uses dirty tactics to keep the two apart. Danny is perplexed as to what he should do, so he consults his friends Patrick (Kevin Dunn) and Sal (James Belushi), who give him some skewed advice. Now Danny is torn between what his loved ones advise, and what his heart tells him.
Only the Lonely is a 1991 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Columbus, and stars John Candy, Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Quinn. The film is a comedic take on the premise established in the 1953 television play Marty and the 1955 film Marty, while the title comes from the song "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison.