Writer: John Hughes (Screenplay)
Starring: John Candy, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffman, Macaulay Culkin, Amy Madigan, Elaine Bromka, Garrrett M Brown
Plot: Bachelor and all round slob, Buck, babysits his brother’s rebellious teenage daughter and her cute younger brother and sister.
Tagline – He’s crude. He’s crass. He’s family.
Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Great Comedy
Story: Uncle Buck starts when Cindy (Bromka) and Bob Russell (Brown) must rush out of town, the only option is to turn to Bob’s brother Buck (Candy) to look after their three kids, eldest Tia (Kelly), Maizy (Hoffman) and Miles (Culkin), they know it is a risk, but it is their only option.
We follow how Buck always keep a happy face on the situation regardless of how people are treating him, with the laughs coming from the misfortunes.
Thoughts on Uncle Buck
Characters – Buck Russell is the unreliable brother to Bob, he struggles to keep a job, stay in a relationship, but in his time of need Buck comes to babysit his nieces and nephew, his methods do offer more love than the kids are normal even if the eldest doesn’t like the attention. Tia is the teenage daughter that believes she could have looked after her young siblings, she doesn’t like having Buck around and would rather be off partying with her boyfriend. Miles is the son that takes a shine to Buck because he is willing to play along with his games. Maizy is the younger daughter who needs the attention, she misses her mother and Buck does the best to comfort her.
Performances – John Candy is brilliant in this leading role, he gets moments where he gets to show his comedy style, while also handling the serious side to his character. Jean Louisa Kelly is good in her role because you instantly don’t like her even though she is playing the typical moody teenager. The two youngster Culkin and Hoffman both give us good performances for their age, Culkin does get a lot of the better funny scenes of the two.
Story – The story here follows the unwanted uncle forced to look after his nieces and nephews as a last resort. We see how he gives everything to make sure they are kept safe even if not everything is going well with household chores. This story does get to focus on certain family relationship that could be strained through time, even if the person means well with their actions. It does play into the unlikely person being the most important person in a child’s life when they need them most.
Comedy – The comedy in the film lets John Candy handle his style, show how Culkin was going to be a mega star with how cute kid routine which steals nearly every scene.
Settings – The film takes us to a suburban neighbourhood where the family lives to keep the story flowing with the heart and soul is needs.
Scene of the Movie – Quick questions between Miles and Buck.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Miles and Maizy do take the back burner for the second half of the film.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun comedy that lets the star show his skills and gets laughs every time it goes for.
Overall: Laugh out loud moment.
Rating