The Lonely Guy

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The Lonely Guy

R

1984

1h 30m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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Variety Staff

Variety

Oct 3, 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.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Oct 23, 2004

1.5/4

The kind of movie that seems to have been made to play in empty theaters on overcast January afternoons.

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

Aug 30, 2004

2.5/5

It tries a little bit of everything, and winds up with an air of messy desperation.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Mar 28, 2024

...a reasonable-enough premise that’s employed to watchable yet entirely unremarkable effect...

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TV Guide

Oct 3, 2007

1.5/4

A mindless comedy that's about as funny as a life sentence in solitary confinement.

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Jul 13, 2006

4/5

Funny stuff.

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Robert P

@Superbad 2 days ago

The Lonely Guy = a 2.5 star Movie!

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thiago S

@Thiagostone May 6, 2026

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

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CodyZamboni Z

@CodyZamboni Apr 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.

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Daniel M

@MazzaQuePasa Dec 7, 2023

Absolutely loved it and had some great writing with really smart jokes, Steve Martin was a lot of fun in this one!

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Jan 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.

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r 9

@RT00952237 Oct 1, 2019

One of the best performances I've seen from Steve Martin. A charming film with good comedic moments.

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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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52%

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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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