Uncle Buck (1989)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

John Hughes

Writer (WGA):

John Hughes (written by)

Release Date:

16 August 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

OH NO! IT'S...

Plot:

Bachelor and all round slob, Buck, babysits his brother's rebellious teenage daughter and her cute younger brother and sister.

Plot Keywords:

Bug | Teenager | Bowling | Babysitter | Night

Cast

John Candy	...	Buck Russell
Jean Louisa Kelly	...	Tia Russell
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Maizy Russell
Macaulay Culkin	...	Miles Russell
Amy Madigan	...	Chanice Kobolowski
Elaine Bromka	...	Cindy Russell
Garrett M. Brown	...	Bob Russell
Laurie Metcalf	...	Marcie Dahlgren-Frost
Jay Underwood	...	Bug
Brian Tarantina	...	E. Roger Coswell
Mike Starr	...	Pooter-the-Clown
Suzanne Shepherd	...	Mrs. Hogarth
William Windom	...	Mr. Hatfield (voice)
Dennis Cockrum	...	Pal
Joel Robinson	...	Miles' Friend #1

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:PG | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Peru:PT | Spain:T | UK:12 (original rating) | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

2604 Lincoln Street, Evanston, Illinois, USA

Company:

Hughes Entertainment

Trivia:

Almost every set was built in a local highschool gymnasium, including the two-story Russell house.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Uncle Buck is drinking on the couch, at first, from the front, the label on his beer bottle is to his right at first. In the next cut, from behind him, the label is on his left side. Then, when viewed again from the front, the label is again on his right side.

Quotes:

Miles: Holy smokes!
[turns to Tia and whispers]
Miles: He's cooking our garbage!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (#6.6)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

SMALL TIME HUSTLER

Say Uncle!

Uncle Buck is a typical John Hughes family film, and probably the first of the beginning of a series of family films as director/writer Hughes left the world of teenage film-making (though Career Opportunities would be released the early 90s).

Uncle Buck is a cute, innocuous family film about an unusual uncle trying to adapt to parenting skills, of which he basically has none. When their mother's father has a heart attack, the parents of the three children have to leave town to visit him, so they need a babysitter, pronto! Call it misadventures in babysitting because they get the father's somewhat irresponsible, but loving uncle, Uncle Buck (John Candy).

The story is typical. Uncle Buck is a big mess at first. Not really sure how things work, but trying hard to make friends with the younger kids (Gabby Hoffman and Maculay Culkin), and trying very hard to make peace with the older, cynical niece (Jean Louise Kelly) who for some reason, just can't take a liking to Buck. In part, that's understandable considering that he does try his bess to embarrass her at times in order to get her to see how stupid she's being (especially when she's around her idiot boyfriend, Bug). But in her case, she really has an overdose of teen angst, and that spells trouble for Buck. The niece does her best to get revenge on Buck, and make life as difficult as possible for him so that her parent's will see what an irresponsible bafoon he is, or at least that she pegs him to be.

The story also examines typical John Hughes elements, namely class divisions. Buck isn't exactly wealthy, let alone classy. Also, there are familial tensions, since the oldest daughter doesn't get along with her mother well at all (or either parent really, but we really don't see her relationship with her father). But, like all Hughes comedies, it is resolved and everyone lives happily ever after.

This is a better movie for kids in their mid teens and younger, since Buck's comedic antics (the monster size pancakes, the washing machine mishap, and the revenge on the boyfriend, Bug) will generate plenty of laughs. Buck has his own way of doing things, kind of like Michael Keaton in 'Mr. Mom' (although Keaton follows a standardized process afterwards unlike Buck, who's improvisations are his own, and he sticks with them). The interaction between Bug and Buck are the best because Bug is such an idiot and scared as hell of Buck. Though, I think the funniest scenes are with Laurie Metcalf (always a scene stealer) as the seductive, cooky next door neighbor who takes a liking to Buck.

John Hughes fans in general will probably enjoy this comedy, though that depends if you kept maintained faithfulness to his film catalogue even after he started going strictly with mindless family films (and not teenage comedies). Though, this is the earliest period of that transition, about the same time as Dutch and Curly Sue, so it really depends on what serves your taste as far as John Hughe's family film collection goes.

It is a nice little comedy, and one that wouldn't hurt to try. You'll probably get a few good laughs in there. John Candy always does.