Review of The Lonely Guy (1984) by Josh H — 11 Sep 2008

This movie serves as a transition between Steve Martin's "jerk" persona and his romantic, "heart on his sleeve" period. He becomes a "lonely guy" when his girlfriend dumps him for a rock band (yes, a whole band).

He befriends Charles Grodin's character, and they set about surviving in the world of the lonely guy; they eat tuna fish, have plants for friends, and stave off the inevitable suicide. Martin's character eventually writes a book, a survival guide for the lonely guy, and becomes a hollywood celebrity, but all he ever wants is to is win the love of Iris, a jogger he met in the park and who's phone number he constantly loses.

There's a certain amount of heart that forshadows Martin's later movies (such as "Roxanne"), but it still has a fairly dark sense of humor about it. It's a clever movie, that despite a 3rd act that drags on a little, the comedy still holds up 25 years later.

A good one for Steve Martin fans.