There is nothing terribly original or inspiring about the plot in this Chris Columbus-helmed romantic comedy but that is not to say it is unenjoyable.
Only the Lonely is the story of a grown man still living in the shadow of his dominant and prejudiced mother. When he meets Theresa Luna (played by the wonderful Ally Sheedy of Breakfast Club fame), things seem to be going well until his mother gets in the way.
Danny, played by unlikely romcom lead John Candy, is torn between his love for Theresa and his mother's well-being. Unable to stand up to her, his relationship looks doomed to fail.
The film is not tight, meandering towards its conclusion, but managed to keep my attention. Whilst I found it lacking in big laughs, it had buckets of charm courtesy of its three principle players who work together beautifully.
Overall, I enjoyed this and found it happily diverting. Besides, any film with Jim Belushi in the buddy role is inherently worth a watch (cf. About Last Night - one of my favourite eighties romantic comedies).