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The Lonely Guy

Play trailer Poster for The Lonely Guy R 1984 1h 30m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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50% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Larry Hubbard (Steve Martin), who pens greeting cards for a living, is lonely after his longtime girlfriend's infidelity leads to the end of their relationship. When not commiserating with fellow loner Warren (Charles Grodin), Larry spends his time pursuing Iris (Judith Ivey), but the relationship seems doomed. Larry decides to channel his feelings into writing a book, which becomes a bestselling guide to the lonely life. Suddenly he's famous -- but all he really wants is to be with Iris.
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The Lonely Guy

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 10/03/2007
Martin's trademark wacky humor is fitfully in evidence, but seems much more repressed than usual in order to fit into the relatively realistic world of single working people. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
1.5/4
The kind of movie that seems to have been made to play in empty theaters on overcast January afternoons. Go to Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times 08/30/2004
2.5/5
It tries a little bit of everything, and winds up with an air of messy desperation. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 03/28/2024
...a reasonable-enough premise that’s employed to watchable yet entirely unremarkable effect... Go to Full Review TV Guide 10/03/2007
1.5/4
A mindless comedy that's about as funny as a life sentence in solitary confinement. Go to Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com 07/13/2006
4/5
Funny stuff. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago S @Thiagostone May 6 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more CodyZamboni Z @CodyZamboni 04/13/2025 Good natured, not laugh out loud funny, Amusing, some good gags, a few plot surprises. Steve Martin and Charles Grodin work well together. See more Daniel M @MazzaQuePasa 12/07/2023 Absolutely loved it and had some great writing with really smart jokes, Steve Martin was a lot of fun in this one! See more 01/15/2021 If you're a Steve Martin fan (and I am) then you'll probably find this film lots of fun. Especially his trademark deadpan humor. Lots of laugh-out-loud moments, too. Don't take it too seriously - just have some fun. See more r 9 @RT00952237 10/01/2019 One of the best performances I've seen from Steve Martin. A charming film with good comedic moments. See more 10/01/2019 The Lonely Guy is another one of Steve Martin’s films that requires you to totally get on board with his sense of humor. Lucky for me, I tend to connect with his comedy quite well. The movie takes place in a heightened version of the real world, but it still touches on a number of things that people in the real world go through every day. It is built almost entirely around the idea of single men having difficulties when trying to find the right person for them. I got some good laughs from that idea, but it sometimes felt like the whole movie was a single elaborate joke stretched out for 90 minutes. But even the same joke repeated over and over again can be hilarious when it is delivered by Steve Martin and Charles Grodin. These guys are comedy gold and should have worked together more. The comedy dies down a bit when the romance plot starts. I was underwhelmed by that aspect of the story, even though I recognize it was necessary to reach a satisfying conclusion. The Lonely Guy might not be one of the great comedies, but it is a good one that I’d gladly watch again. See more Read all reviews
The Lonely Guy

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Cast & Crew

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Arthur Hiller

Director

Steve Martin

Larry Hubbard

Charles Grodin

Warren Evans

Judith Ivey

Iris

Steve Lawrence

Jack Fenwick

Robyn Douglass

Danielle

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The Lonely Guy

The Lonely Guy (1984) The Lonely Guy (1984) The Lonely Guy (1984) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Larry Hubbard (Steve Martin), who pens greeting cards for a living, is lonely after his longtime girlfriend's infidelity leads to the end of their relationship. When not commiserating with fellow loner Warren (Charles Grodin), Larry spends his time pursuing Iris (Judith Ivey), but the relationship seems doomed. Larry decides to channel his feelings into writing a book, which becomes a bestselling guide to the lonely life. Suddenly he's famous -- but all he really wants is to be with Iris.
Director
Arthur Hiller
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 27, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Runtime
1h 30m
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