Only the Lonely (1991)

"Just telling it like it is, ma."

Director
Chris Columbus

Cast
John Candy - Danny Muldoon
Maureen O'Hara - Rose Muldoon
Ally Sheedy - Theresa Luna
Anthony Quinn - Nick Acropolis
Kevin Dunn - Patrick Muldoon
James Belushi - Sal Buonarte
Macaulay Culkin - Billy Muldoon
Kieran Culkin - Patrick Muldoon Jr.

Trying to get a copy of the 1991 John Hughes romantic comedy movie "Only the Lonely" is strangely difficult. In fact, it's nearly impossible.

DVD copies sell for close to $100. It's not streaming on any service at the time I write this. Nor is it free with ads, or available to rent, on YouTube.  

"Only the Lonely" is no small movie. It stars John Candy in certainly one of his best performances. The movie also stars veteran actress Maureen O'Hara whose part was written specifically for her. She retired from acting in 1971 after appearing in the movie "Big Jake." However, O'Hara returned to acting just for this movie. So, "Only the Lonely" is her last film appearance. She delivers a performance so effortless it feels like she never left.

It also stars Ally Sheedy, James Belushi, Anthony Quinn, features a cameo from Macauley Culkin, and is directed by Chris Columbus. Again, this is no small movie. Nor is it a comedic flop. So, it's a wonder why it isn't available on DVD while movies like "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" is readily available. The industry is backwards, for sure!

I've wanted to grab a copy of this for a while without having to spend a three-digit figure. So, despite my better judgement, I resorted to sneaking down a dark, dank back-alley behind Chow Fun's Chinese Cuisine to meet a shady fellow calling himself Rick "No Questions" Delgado and his sidekick "Cash‑Only" Carl, both of whom work for a guy called "Vlad the Retailer," to purchase a bootleg copy of "Only the Lonely."

I wasn't willing to go higher than $20 so that's what I paid. It's still too much, but a critic has got to do what a critic has got to do. I've said too much already.

Anyways, on the bright side, I now own a copy of "Only the Lonely" and you don't!

So, in this movie, John Candy plays Chicago police officer Danny Muldoon. He's a 38-year-old bachelor who's still living in his boyhood home with his mom, Rose (Maureen O'Hara). She's quite the Irish Catholic woman who has a way of dominating Danny's life. 

John Candy and Marueen O'Hara in "Only the Lonely."

Since his father passed away years before, the duty to carry the family forward fell on Danny's shoulders. 

He somehow managed to get his brother, Patrick (Kevin Dunn) through Law School. And Patrick, who's married with kids (Macaulay Culkin and Kieran Culkin), wants Danny to remain single, take care of their mother and move her and himself to Florida for her sake. 

This surfaces when Danny meets Theresa (Ally Sheedy) after spotting her at a local Irish pub when two Irish guys carry a corpse in for one last drink with the deceased. 

She's accompanying the funeral director who comes in to get back the corpse,

Danny is interested in her at first sight. So, he stops by the funeral home later with hopes to talk to her and ask her out. 

She agrees to go out with him, and in no time, a romance buds rather beautifully. However, his mother doesn't quite approve of Theresa, especially since she's not Irish like they are. She's Italian/ Polish - not that it should matter. After an uncomfortable "meet my mom" dinner at a nice restaurant which doesn't last past the main entrees, things get real between Danny and Theresa. 

She objects to Danny's constant fear that something terrible might happen to his mother which gets in the way of his life as he feels he has to be constantly protecting her while she manipulates him. Theresa decides to let Danny go. 

Loaded with heartbreak and considerations over how he needs to change his priorities, he has trouble telling his mother that he needs to live his life and she needs to finally care for herself. 

The story is rather simple but loaded with a lot of humor and emotion. The importance and need for a person to have a family of their own is the key takeaway of this movie. It's one I certainly can get behind.

John Candy's performance is fantastic. As his previous movies are comedic, I don't know of any other John Candy movie in which he takes a romantic lead on top of his comedy. And being that it's a romantic role, he doesn't overplay the comedy. He lets it come naturally so audiences can relate. 

Candy plays the apprehensive type who's more hopeful than determined to win Theresa's affection. Ally Sheedy plays off this performance as the shy and self-doubting type, until she comes out as a strong character who knows what sort of leading man she wants in her life. 

While I admit Sheedy and Candy seem like an unlikely couple, they make it work. Their chemistry develops through the movie. That can certainly be said of many true-to-life relationships.

One scene I objected to sees Danny sneaking Theresa into his house, and into his bedroom for a night of "romance." 

John Candy and Ally Sheedy.

Being a Catholic and having a devoutly Catholic Irish mother who's staying over at Patrick's for the evening, Danny knows having sex before marriage is a grave sin. When the two head up to Danny's bedroom and start to get romantic, Danny spots his statue of Jesus on his dresser looking in his direction. In what's supposed to be a funny scene, he tosses his police hat over the statue to avoid that guilty feeling. It's supposed to be endearing. It's not. The scene undermines Danny’s sincerity. I get it's supposed to get some laughs. It's a cheap joke contrasting the film’s emotional maturity. 

Otherwise, "Only the Lonely" is a movie that doesn't deserve to be out-of-print, or unavailable all together. It's a fun movie and John Candy in a romantic lead role is a rarity. He's at his absolute enjoyable best. Candy's apprehensive delivery, his reactions to reciprocated romance along with his worries over his mother are what string the comedy along. But he also makes it so easy to feel for Danny when he's torn by his heartbreak along side his impulse to constantly protect his overbearing mother. 

Even in a romantic lead, John Candy is true to his comedic form. He's dramatic when he needs to be, and convincingly so. He can deliver lines with just enough emotion that doesn't ham up the scene. He delivers his charm plus some goofball humor. He's funny and sympathetic at the same time. His comedic timing with just the right emotion in the proper dosage seems almost flawless. This plays off so well as Sheedy's character loves the charm but she's smart enough to know she needs a man who will put her first. 

Hands down, this has to be one of Candy's best performances, if not the best. 

And Maureen O'Hara's performance is as though she hadn't left acting twenty years before. She takes on the role with a natural ease. I mean, this is an actress who has appeared in some of the biggest movies - "Miracle on 34th Street," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Quiet Man," "Rio Grande," "The Parent Trap," and "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" to drop a few titles. Her acting is so fluid and unforced. She gives her last performance her all, clearly. Her character Rose is really memorable. Rose's personality is a bit staunch and a little abrasive, though still motherly. She's not completely unlikeable or overly harsh. Despite her obvious flaws, there's still a redeeming quality shining through, hidden by her hard shell. 

O'Hara drives the emotional conflict of the entire story, and blends well with John Candy. It's an underrated performance, indeed. 

It's a shame "Only the Lonely" is nearly a neglected romantic comedy. It has a lot going for it, and above all, is an entertaining worthwhile comedy - a gem among such movies that's worth finding...if you can.

Brewster's Millions (1985)

"Monty pitches and I catch. The money won't change us."

Director

Walter Hill

Cast
Richard Pryor - Montgomery Brewster

John Candy - Spike Nolan

Stephen Collins - Warren Cox
Lonette McKee - Angela Drake

Pat Hingle - Edward Roundfiel
Jerry Orbach - Charlie Pegler
Jerome Dempsey - Norris Baxter
David White - George Granville
Hume Cronyn - Rupert Horn

With all the reboots, remakes, and long, long, long awaited sequels hitting theaters the last 15 years, audiences generally think this a result of a creativity shortage in Hollywood. Maybe that's true to a large degree, but there's a lot of writers out there, and there's a lot of sublime and excellence movies coming out that don't often get the same attention as the more anticipated movies do. 

As far as all the remakes and reboots, my normal retort is that these movies are as old as the movie industry itself. There's a lot of classic and well-beloved movies that are remakes of earlier films. "The Wizard of Oz" from 1939 comes directly to mind. 

The 1985 comedy, "Brewster's Millions" with Richard Pryor and John Candy is a perfect example of how movie remakes are nothing new in Hollywood. 

I knew about this movie for decades, but I've never watched it until a few nights ago for a movie night with my wife. She somehow earned a code from Roku and was able to pick a free movie to download on the "My Movies" app. So, this is was the most appealing from the movies we could choose from.

I wanted to get to "Brewster's Millions" while I've been on a John Candy movie binge lately, as I've mentioned in my previous John Candy movie reviews. 

In this movie, Richard Pryor plays Montgomery 'Monty' Brewster who pitches for the minor league team, the  Hackensack Bulls.

He's pals with the Bulls catcher, Spike Nolan (John Candy). After a post-game stop at the local bar, the two get into a big bar brawl and wind up in jail.
They're visited by a stranger named J. B. Donaldo who offers to cover their bail, but they have to plead guilty. 

Once they're out of the slammer, he takes them back to the law firm of Granville & Baxter out in Manhattan. There, Monty is tossed into a meeting with an executor, Edward Roundfield. 

Much to Brewster's shock and surprise, his great-uncle Rupert Horn (Hume Cronyn) suddenly died. Monty didn't even know he had a great-uncle Rupert. What's more shocking is that Rupert is an insanely rich white dude...or, was an insanely rich white dude. And what's even more shocking is that Monty is his only living relative. So, upon Rupert's death, there's no one to inherit his $300 million fortune except Monty. 

Richard Pryor as Monty Brewster in "Brewster's Millions."

However, he's not going to get that fortune without a little catch. He's got two choices. Monty can either take $1 million right away. The law firm would then become the lawful executor of great-uncle Rupert's estate and will collect a service fee, while the rest of the millions will be given to charity. 

Or, he can have $30 million upfront and spend every cent of it within 30 days. 

If he picks the second option, the catch is that despite all the required spending, when the 30 days is up, Brewster cannot own any assets other than what he doesn't already own. If he hires anybody and uses part of the $30 million to pay them, he has to utilize the services he hires them for. 

Brewster cannot destroy or damage any of the items he might purchase. He's permitted to give five percent away to charity, and he can only gamble another five percent. In other words, he can't just give the millions away, nor can he squander all of it on gambling. 

Finally, he cannot tell anyone about this challenge. Not even Spike. If he can spend the entire amount and stick to the rules, he'll inherit the entire $300 million. If he fails, he forfeits all of it and gets nothing. 

Brewster picks the $300 million and doesn't waste a minute in spending his millions. 

Though "Brewster's Millions" has an original feel to it, it's obviously not an original story as I mentioned. 

It's based on the 1902 novel written by George Barr McCutcheon. It was also a Broadway production in 1906 starring Edward Abeles.

The earliest movie based on McCutcheon's book is the 1914 silent comedy movie of the same name directed by none other than Cecil B. DeMille along with Oscar Apfel.

In 1921, another silent movie adaptation, also called "Brewster's Millions," was released. It stars the legendary Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. 

Over in the U.K., they made their own movie based on the novel in 1935 also called "Brewster's Millions." Their version is a musical comedy directed by Thornton Freeland

Back in the U.S., another remake, again called "Brewster's Millions," was released in 1945 and stars Dennis O'Keefe. And that takes us to the 1985 comedy. 

Richard Pryor, Rick Moranis, and John Candy.

There's a buddy chemistry between Richard Pryor and John Candy. It's unfortunate these two comedians didn't do more movies together.

For a movie starring two of the best comedians in the industry, there's not enough comedy in "Brewster's Millions." In other words, their collective comedic talent isn't used to the fullest extent. Candy and Pryor work well with what their given. But there's so much more room in the premise for more comedy from these guys. And with that buddy chemistry I mentioned, "Brewster's Millions" could have been a decent starting-off point for some more comedies from these guys. 

That's not to say the movie doesn't earn some laughs. There's even a cameo from Rick Moranis.   

Otherwise, "Brewster's Millions" is a story which I can't really compare to any other story though there's a lot of movies about regular people who suddenly strike it rich through some out-of-the-ordinary circumstance, or through a million-to-one stroke of amazing luck. But adding the element of the protagonist being required to spend millions to get millions makes an intriguing and unique comedy.

I previously reviewed the film "Waking Ned Devine" about a jackpot lottery win in a small Irish village. Also the 1954 British comedy, "The Million Pound Note" starring Gregory Peck and based off a story by Mark Twain, led to the 1983 comedy "Trading Places" with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. Both are about sudden wealth with main characters who are like fishes out of the water with their fortune. 

In 1979, the "MAD Magazine Board Game" was introduced. In this game, each player starts off with $10,000. And in true MAD Magazine form, satirizing "Monopoly," each player rushes around the board trying to lose all their money. The first loser is the winner. That's the closest thing I can compare the movie to. 

Despite how much more humor from Candy and Pryor that could have been used, the movie is still a fun, fast yet well paced story. Not to mention the moral of the story that money really isn't everything. It's more of a burden than it is a blessing. 

Even so, I can't think of another movie or story that makes its audience want to be in the protagonists spot any more than "Brewster's Millions." 

Delirious (1991)

"This stranger knows no danger. I'm much stranger than you think."

Director
Tom Mankiewicz

Cast
John Candy - Jack Gable
Mariel Hemingway - Janet DuBois/Louise
Emma Samms - Rachel Hedison/Laura Claybourne
Raymond Burr - Carter Hedison
David Rasche - Dr. Paul Kirkwood/Dennis
Charles Rocket - Ty Hedison
Dylan Baker - Blake Hedison
Jerry Orbach - Lou Sherwood
Renée Taylor - Arlene Sherwood

John Candy is a comedic talent that's still sorely missed among fans even 30 years after his death. 

 I love his movies! I have a list of John Candy films I am searching for wherever I might happen to find them. Specifically, I'm looking for the Candy films that don't seem to get the same sort of attention as his more popular movies. Movies such as "Only the Lonely," "The Clown Murders," "Brewster's Millions," "Once Upon a Crime," "Going Berserk," "Armed and Dangerous," and "Canadian Bacon" are the ones I want to get to but can't seem to find fast enough. I happened to find his 1991 romance comedy "Delirious" on the streaming app, Tubi.

I've already reviewed his movies, "Nothing but Trouble," "Summer Rental," and Who's Harry Crumb?" not too long ago on this platform. 

"Delirious" is one of his comedies that should stand out above the rest primarily because of Candy's performance, though the film as a whole was poorly received upon its release. In fact, it was a flop. However, Candy's performance alone deserves a lot of attention. It's a rare gem in that he takes on a romantic lead, albeit not as romantic a lead like he did in the John Hughes movie "Only the Lonely" in which he co-stars with Ally Sheedy and Maureen O'Hara. I cannot wait to get to that movie! 

By the way, speaking of Ally Sheedy, I didn't realize until five minutes ago that she has a cameo in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." I completely missed that! But I digress. 

Looking at his filmography, John Candy had quite a year in 1991. He appears in five movies released that year - "Nothing But Trouble," "Career Opportunities," "Only the Lonely," 'Delirious," and Oliver Stone's "JFK." The latter is a cameo in which Candy takes on a serious role. 

In "Delirious" Candy plays the head writer of a soap opera, "Beyond Our Dreams" named Jack Gable. The series takes place in the fictional town of Ashford Falls.

He's deeply immersed in his writing and is attracted to the self-absorbed show's head actress, Laura Claybourne (Emma Samms) who plays the lead role, Rachel Hedison.

When he arrives to work on a rather business-as-usual morning, he bumps into another actress, Louise (Mariel Hemingway) who's there to audition for the role of Janet DuBois. 

Janet is a character Jack is adamantly opposed to. When he catches wind of this character's debut, he takes the issue to the show's co-producers, Lou Sherwood (Jerry Orbach) and Arlene Sherwood (Renée Taylor). 

The Sherwoods respond to Jack's protest by telling him they don't care much, if at all, for his ideas for the series' upcoming season. One of his ideas is to introduce a new character called Jack Gates who'll be a self-centered rich yahoo. 

The late, great John Candy as Jack Gable in "Delirious."

In fact, they want to kill off the lead character, Laura Claybourne. This doesn't make sense. Their decision is based completely on Rachel's ridiculous contract demands. And to ensure they get what they want, Lou and Arlene hire Jack's nemesis in the field, Arnie Fetterman (Milt Oberman) who'll basically do whatever they tell him. The Sherwoods are very set in their ways. 

That weekend, Jack has plans to take a vacation to Vermont. 

Before leaving, Laura calls him crying about breaking up with her boyfriend, Dennis (David Rasche), who happens to play the character, Dr. Paul Kirkwood on "Beyond Our Dreams." She insists on tagging along with Jack on his trip. 

Of course, Jack is all for it since he has feelings for her.

As he tries to pile her luggage into his trunk, he catches her making out with Dennis. It didn't take long for them to make up. 

The trunk then closes on his head pretty hard. Still, he takes off for his trip, and then crashes his car. 

When he wakes up, Jack finds himself in Ashford Falls Hospital. He recognizes the set right away. Dr. Kirkwood is standing over him. Of course, Jack thinks it's a joke, until he leaves the hospital and finds himself in the actual town of Ashford Falls. 

While outside wrapping his head around the situation, he bumps into Janet DuBois. He recognizes her from the office, but she thinks he's actually Jack Gates looking for a weight-loss formula her father developed. Jack insists he's the show's writer which she doesn't believe.

They get into a frustrated argument which ends with her telling him to write his way out of his situation. 

So, that's what he does. Jack pulls out his typewriter and writes a scene for the show in which the local mechanic calls him to say his damaged car is now fixed. As soon as he does, the mechanic calls and tells him his car is fixed. 

In no time, Jack realizes that whatever he writes on his typewriter quickly becomes reality. He can control the flow of events and the actions of the characters around him by simply typing out scenarios. So, Jack uses this incredible gift as a way to pursue Rachel in as epic a way as he can. But the reality he writes out only lasts as long as the scene is written. 

However, it works, and Rachel falls for him despite having a boyfriend. 

Meanwhile, Jack starts developing an attraction to Janet and uses his typewriter to help her avoid some schemes which the wealthy brothers, Blake (Dylan Baker) and Ty Medison (Charles Rocket) are plotting in an attempt acquire the weight loss formula at the behest of their dad, Carter Medison (Raymond Burr). 

The family owns and operates a huge pharmaceutical company which explains why they want this weight loss formula. So, Jack is forced to keep writing scenes to ensure everything plays out the way he deems best. 

Emma Samms and John Candy.

John Candy takes on a romantic lead alongside his funny buddy type of humor and persona. 

His characters are generally easy for audiences to connect with. Candy is just likeable. There's no reason to say it all fancy-like. That's why I've been searching for a bunch of his not-so-talked about movies and watching them when I can. His performance in "Delirious" is no different. 

I was barely interested in everything going on outside of Candy's screen time. 

Everything else, especially the acting, needs polishing. Lots of it. Then again, it's soap opera acting. In that regard, the cast nailed it!

I did get a few laughs out of the jokes both from Candy and from other the actors. 

The movie has potential to be much more memorable than it is. It feels more like a dress rehearsal than a fun, well made comedy. 

Despite what it lacks in the performances, line delivery, and enthusiasm from some of the other actors, "Delirious" barely passes as a movie that deserves an audience, or at least a heart filled cult following. 

Otherwise, the rest of the comedy falls flat too often. 

John Candy really does his Candy best to carry this thing to the end, working with what he's given and with as much enthusiasm and energy as he can. 
It becomes absurd at times which actually works for a comedy like this. But it still strikes me as forced, such as when he gets upset and tosses his typewriter against the wall. 
"Delirious" also feels like a unique twist on the premise seen in "Groundhog Day" which was released in 1993. 

Aside from John Candy, "Delirious" has a respectable cast of notables such as Mariel Hemingway, Raymond Burr, Dylan Baker, Jerry Orbach, Robert Wagner, and an uncredited cameo from Margot Kidder. 
Like I said, some of the jokes got a laugh out of me. The other times, I wondered "what the hell kind of writing is this?" Then again, that's the who point of the movie.

Summer Rental (1985)

"It's three bedrooms and it's on the beach. That's all I know."

Director

Carl Reiner

Cast

John Candy - Jack Chester
Karen Austin - Sandy Chester
Kerri Green - Jennifer Chester
Joey Lawrence - Bobby Chester
Richard Crenna - Al Pellet
Rip Torn - Richard Scully
Richard Herd - Angus MacLachlan

John Candy is one comedian I still miss. He died in 1994 at the age of 43 - the same age I'll be in just a few more months from now. 

I recall being shocked at the news of his death though I was 12 at the time. 

I have seen many a John Candy movie in my time, but "Summer Rental" is a flick I haven't seen until now. 

Though he appeared in several movies before this, "Summer Rental" is considered Candy's first starring role. 

It's a light comedy packed with a lot of talent. Not only does this movie star John Candy, it also has veteran actor Richard Crenna ("First Blood"), Kerri Green ("The Goonies," "Lucus"), a young Joey Lawrence, Rip Torn, and a brief scene with John Larroquette. 

Composer Alan Silvestri, who wrote music scores for some notable pictures such as "Back to the Future," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Forrest Gump," creates the music for this flick. And legendary comedian Carl Reiner sits in the director's chair. 

In this movie, Candy plays air traffic controller, Jack Chester, who is forced to take a much-needed paid vacation after he nearly causes a mid-air collision followed by an irate outburst all because a fly landed on his radar screen and blocked his view of a plane. 

The only alternative to taking a vacation is being fired from his job. 

So, Jack takes his wife Sandy (Karen Austin), their daughter, Jennifer (Kerri Green) and younger son, Bobby (Joey Lawrence), to the resort town of Citrus Cove, Fla., for some R & R. 

As expected, nothing goes right, beginning with dinner on their first night at a fancy seafood restaurant. 

Before they're even seated at a table, they get bumped in line thanks to a local sailing champion snob, Al Pellet (Richard Crenna). Not only does he cut in front of them, he also orders his entire table the rest of the fresh lobster which Jack was looking forward to having for dinner. 

After several mishaps, including the Chesters initially using the wrong house as their rental, the owner of their summer rental property dies and leaves the property to Al Pellet. 

He and Jack had a few previous unfortunate run-ins before, starting with that dinner. 

Jack offers Al a $1,000 check for another two weeks at the rental. But to spite Jack, Al rips up his check and tells him that he and his family have to get out in a few days.

John Candy in "Summer Rental."

Fed up, Jack challenges Al to a sailing race within the upcoming Citrus Cove Regatta. If Jack wins, Al has to return his check and let him stay in the house another two weeks rent-free. If Al wins, he can keep the $1,000 and he'll take his family back home. So, the race is on. Jack gets the help of local a local dive bar and restaurant owner, Richard Scully (Rip Torn) who has a pirate mentality. He teaches Jack how to sale and lets him use his barnacle covered boat which is in dire need to repairs. 

"Summer Rental" feels like a mix between "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983) with a little of Neil Simon's "The Out-of-Towners" (1970). 

As Candy told film critic Gene Siskel back in 1986, "We shot it too fast. We were trying to fill a time slot for Paramount." 

It shows! 

The editing is often haphazard and doesn't allow the comedy to progress well. For instance, in one scene, Jack is watching a golf game on TV while the rest of the family are at the movies. He lets the dog inside out of the rain. The dog turns and starts barking as if ordering Jack to go out and bring his bone for him out of the rain. 

Jack goes to fetch the dog's bone when the dog accidentally closes the door, locking Jack out in the wet. 

The audience gets a quick comedic reaction from Candy, and then the scene changes where Candy is back with his family obviously sometime later. These awkward cutaways occur several times in the movie. 

The movie has its funny moments, and John Candy's performance is top notch classic Candy. But it's not the funniest movie of his I've seen. That's mainly due to the poor pace of the movie right down to the sudden ending. 

"Summer Rental" is a modest comedy that's unfortunately put together too haphazardly. The jokes are there, and a lot of them work. The rest could play out memorably well if only the movie would take its time and let the jokes breath. Instead, it plows through the story at a weird pace. 

Nevertheless, I loved watching Candy. It's a significant role for him within comedy career. 

Sitting through "Summer Rental" made me want to revisit John Candy roles and introduce myself to those I have yet to see. 

 

Who's Harry Crumb? (1989)

"My reputation precedes me. Otherwise, I'd be late for all my appointments."

Director
Paul Flaherty

Cast

John Candy - Harry Crumb
Jeffrey Jones - Eliot Draisen
Annie Potts - Helen Downing
Tim Thomerson - Vince Barnes
Barry Corbin - P.J. Downing
Shawnee Smith - Nikki Downing
Valri Bromfield - Detective Casey
Renée Coleman - Jennifer Downing
Wesley Mann - Tim

John Candy is a comedian I still miss. 

I was 13-years old when he died in 1994, and I recall being sincerely sad over hearing of his death. His performances in "Uncle Buck," "SpaceBalls," "Home Alone," and "Cool Runnings," along with his Saturday morning cartoon, "Camp Candy" made impressions on me in my younger days. 

There are a lot of his movies I haven't seen but intend to. Others, I haven't seen in years and want to revisit them. 

One of those movies is his 1989 comedy "Who's Harry Crumb?" I hadn't seen this before. 

When it comes to John Candy's style of comedy, he often plays a variety of characters that are so versatile and realistic, often relatable and likeable. 

His way delivering jokes along with his knack for timing is fantastic. Candy is a comedian unlike any other, and I mean that sincerely. And "Who's Harry Crumb?" is a rare movie that Candy produced. 

In this movie, Candy plays a private detective hired to investigate the kidnapping of a Beverly Hills fashion model named Jennifer Downing (Renée Coleman). The kidnapper is demanding a substantial ransom. 

Jennifer's father, P.J. Downing (Barry Corbin), who's a multimillionaire, is desperate to find her. So, he turns to his close friend, Eliot Draisen (Jeffrey Jones) for help as Draisen is president of the Crumb & Crumb Detective Agency. 

Downing, though, is completely unaware that Draisen happens to be the kidnapper. 

So, to make it look like he's helping his buddy, he hands the case over to Harry Crumb (John Candy), the last descendent of the agency's founders.

Crumb's office is out in Oklahoma, away from the home base. Crumb, a master of disguise, is too clumsy and stupid to be a decent detective. Of course, Downing doesn't know that. 

Crumb starts his investigation by first meeting with the Downing family. He connects with Jennifer's younger sister, Nikki (Shawnee Smith) who quickly takes the role of an assistant. 

He also meets with P.J. and his wife, Helen (Annie Potts). 
Helen is having an affair with her tennis coach, Vince Barnes (Tim Thomerson). 

John Candy in "Who's Harry Crumb?"

Under disguise, Crumb sneaks into the health salon where Jennifer was kidnapped. There, he learns that Jennifer used an appointment that originally belonged to Helen. This arouses his suspicions that Helen and Vince kidnapped Jennifer.

Meanwhile, Draisen admits to Helen that he has been in love with her since they were in school together. 

But Helen isn't interested. Rather, she only loves money which he doesn't have enough of to win her love. 

As Crumb's sites are on Helen and Vince, he and Nikki start investigating the illicit couple. 

Helen and Vince think P.J. will break down and pay the ransom. So, they plot to murder P.J. so Helen will inherit his wealth. 

Vince cuts the brakes on P.J.'s car. However, P.J. lets Crumb borrow it so he can follow Helen and Vince. 

Since the breaks fail, Helen and Vince assume Crumb is chasing them. 

When Crumb crashes P.J.'s car, Harry and Vince think he was trying to kill them, so they put a stop to his investigation. 

But Crumb isn't stopped so easily. The movie is a whodunnit with Crumb thinking one thing while the audience is in on the real goings-on. 

While "Who's Harry Crumb" is unique with Candy given the opportunity to play a variety of characters, some of whom made me laugh, it took effort for me to stay interested. 

Candy is clearly enjoying his role. That's no surprise as it's reminiscent of his sketch comedy from the show SCTV where he got his start. 

Candy does well with what he's given. But the entire film falls short for a comedy. It resorts to throwing Candy around in slapstick situations with dopey humor that's beneath Candy's talent.

Most of the jokes are corny gags and one-liners. It's not as funny as I anticipated. 

I felt like someone was standing off camera with a shotgun pointed at him and demanding he act funny or die! It's a disappointing Candy movie, but I can't blame him for that. 

The film has a solid supporting cast including Annie Potts, Jeffrey Jones, and Tim Thomerson. As talented as these comedians are, they offer little to the movie. They're just...there. It's not their fault. This cast isn't used to their full comedic potential. I especially wanted to see more from Annie Potts. How disappointing.

In one scene on a bus, there's a pointless cameo from James Belushi. He appears and does absolutely nothing but read a newspaper. And then...he's gone. What a waste! 

I didn't care enough about the characters to take interest in what was happening. In fact, I was getting bored waiting for the movie to end. 

John Candy is a comedian unlike any other before or since. He's immensely likeable and truly missed. While the movie showcases Candy's comedic talent rather well, "Who's Harry Crumb?" doesn't live up to his more notable roles.