Uncle Buck(1989) PG
| Director: | john hughes | Runtime: 1 hrs 40 min ( 100 min) |
|---|---|---|
| buck russell | ..... | john candy |
| tia russell | ..... | jean louisa kelly |
| maizy russell | ..... | gaby hoffmann |
| miles russell | ..... | macaulay culkin |
| chanice kobolowski | ..... | amy madigan |
| cindy russell | ..... | elaine bromka |
| bob russell | ..... | garrett m. brown |
| marcie dahlgren - frost | ..... | laurie metcalf |
| bug | ..... | jay underwood |
| e. roger coswell | ..... | brian tarantina |
| pooter the clown | ..... | mike starr |
| anita hogarth | ..... | suzanne shepherd |
| mr. hatfield (voice) | ..... | william windom |
| pal | ..... | dennis cockrum |
| party girl in bedroom | ..... | gigi casler |
| maizy's teacher | ..... | ron payne |
The Russell family has moved to a new city. When Cindy's (Elaine Bromka) father has a heart attack in the middle of the night, she decides they must leave immediately to go to him. The kids have school, so they have to stay, but there are problems with all the usual babysitters…enter Bob's (Garrett M. Brown) brother Buck (John Candy). Cindy doesn't like the idea, but Buck is called on to watch the kids.
Living a bachelor's life, Buck has no problem picking up and coming over at 2:00 in the morning. However, along with the freedom of the unmarried life comes a laid-back lifestyle and some questionable friends. Nevertheless, the Russells take off and Buck, to Cindy's dismay, takes over.
Miles (Macaulay Culkin) and Maizy (Gaby Hoffmann), the two smaller children, are just fine with U.B.
taking charge. But Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly), the teenage sister, has another perspective. As the quintessential rebellious and bitter teenager, she hates Buck being there and interfering with her personal life.
Of course, she feels this way toward her parents as well…not to mention pretty much every other adult on the planet. But she also has her share of typical teenage problems. Foremost of which is her questionable relationship with a Greenwich-esque (yeah, I just made that up)boyfriend, who goes by the name 'Bug' (Jay Underwood).
The Russell family is one as seen in countless movies and television shows since the dawn of such media, perhaps because it has been familiar in society for even longer; a mother, a father, and 2.5 children (they have a dog), consisting of a younger boy and girl (Miles and Maizy) and a teenage daughter (Tia) who wants nothing to do with the older generation, and has an enhanced animosity toward her mother. Tia expresses her rebellion by being snippy toward everyone and hanging around the party-til-all-hours-and-drink-coffee-in-poetry-bars
crowd. (I believe that is the longest adjective I have ever written!) Oh, yeah…she also dates one of them⋯first name ‘Bug’ (Jay Underwood).…(The dog's name is Parcey.)
Mom…Cindy…is a snooty woman who seems to have no clue as to her children's activities beyond them having a meal thrice a day and getting to bed at night. The tension between Tia and her mother is remindful of that of an older child and her step-mother, however no such technical relationship is suggested.
Dad's name is Bob (again, plain white vanilla American here). That's about it for him…on to the plot.
The movie doesn't exactly start out slow, but the real laughs begin when the Big Guy, Bob's brother Buck, comes to babysit the kids for a few days.
It seems ironic that I am reviewing this movie right after Planes, Trains, & Automobiles. Both are John Hughes films starring John Candy. Perhaps I should review The Great Outdoors next week? (Not directed, but written by John Hughes.) You can see several spots in these films that exploit Hughes' directing style. For starters, it's a little thing, but often two characters, in this case Buck and Marcie (Laurie Metcalf) lock eyes in a close-up camera shot. The music is classic rock 'n roll '50s and '60s style. The very end of the movie is 100% John Hughes; a freeze-frame of Uncle Buck waving goodbye to Tia, and Uncle Buck shouting Wake Up!
after the closing credits have ended.
In my book, it is very hard to go wrong when John Candy is involved (although I could take issue with Delirious), and Uncle Buck is no exception. I took my grandmother to see this movie…okay, she took me because it was my birthday, but I drove her there. I had just seen it a few weeks earlier with a friend, and I wanted to see it again. I do believe that this is the only movie I have ever seen twice in a movie theatre on it's original run. Anyway, I was taken by surprise when my grandmother came out of the theatre holding her 66-year-old sides while trying to keep from falling to the ground laughing. To put that in perspective, her brand of a good movie leaned more toward Gone With the Wind (1939) and The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981). Not exactly comedies. However, from that point on, my grandmother remained an unwavering fan until she died in 1998. [I miss you, Nini.]
Editor's Note:I have a VHS copy of The French Lieutenant's Woman for sale. If you're interested, email me for details.
Who can't love an overweight teddy bear who loves people, is happily out-of-work, and has a witty answer to any smart-ass remark thrown his way? All this while maintaining a happy-go-lucky attitude in his overly cluttered life.
No doubt John Candy is the funny of this movie, but he would be hard-pressed to be as effective without the supporting characters offering constant absurd provocation. You want examples? Watch the movie! No, really. examples?…alright. Consider Tia's boyfriend, Bug. Okay, now that's just funny right there. The only reason Buck has for being less-than-cordial toward Bug is that Bug is a womanizing jerk who sleeps around. Buck sees this right off the bat and treats Bug accordingly by tearing off in his car while Bug's head is still tucked inside the door.
Another example? (Okay, you didn't ask me for this one. It's a freebie 'cause I'm eating a chocolate bar and my endorphins are flowing…so be grateful.) Buck is called in to Maizy's school because it has been reported that she has been behaving improperly. Here, I must insist that you see the movie for an example of said alleged behavior in action. Anyway, when Buck goes in to hear the principal's complaints, he defends Maizy with some common sense, undebatable arguments, snide parting comments, and that great John Candy I-got-you-there
smile.
I don't like spoiling plots, but when you watch it the second time (and you will…and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, et cetera), you'll know what happens anyway. So, with that said [I waive my responsibility to keep anything a secret], I'll assure you that in the end, Buck's goal to make the world and a few people in it a nicer place and the latter nicer people, is achieved.
I also must acknowledge some of the other well-known players who made this movie a success. Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne, The Big Bang Theory) appears as the wild (physically and mentally) and lonely neighbor across the street. She certainly plays her part to the hilt. I fear that another actress would over-do it. Metcalf, however, can play over-the-top without turning you off.
Obviously, although not yet a hit, Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, My Girl, The Good Son) makes his first major appearance on the big screen and makes quite an impression. Although this movie was considered by some to be a box-office sleeper,
it sure lit a fire under tha bum of Culkin's career. The year after Uncle Buck, he starred in Home Alone. The moment he looked into a mirror, slapped his cute little cheeks with after shave, and let out a yelp that people have recorded on cassette tape (some people I know are even screwier than I am), he started making more money than I'll probably ever see or pay to the collection agencies.
To review this movie any further would only involve the retelling of specific scenes (as exemplified twice above) and the jokes or significance therein. The whole point of this movie is to make you laugh, maybe cry a little, and curse at the jerks. But the end is not really the end, 'cause you'll be back again!
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous (such as the infamous interrogation which, as popular as it is, I did not find particularly funny):
- Tia :
Just don't give me any crap, Maizy
Maizy :I'm telling. You said 'crap.'
Tia :There's nothing wrong with 'crap.'
Maizy :Oh, really? I thought that was a swear.
Tia :No, you're thinking of 'shit.'
Maizy :Oh, right.
- Miles :
Holy smokes! [whispering] He's cooking our garbage!
- Buck :
Stand me up today, and tomorrow, I'll drive you to school in my robe and pajamas, and WALK you to your first class.
- Bug :
You ever hear of a tune-up? he-he-he-he-he.
Buck :You ever hear of a ritual killing? [mockingly] he-he-he-he-he.
Bug :I don't get it.
Buck :You gnaw on her face in public like that again and you'll be one. [mockingly] he-he-he-he-he.
- Tia :
(My parents) don't know my personal life.
Buck :Have they met twiddle-dink?
Tia :His name is Bug.
Buck :First or last?
Tia :First.
Buck :What's his last name…Spray?
- Buck :
Cigar?
Tia :No thanks.
Buck :Let me know if you change your mind.
Tia :I will.
Buck :I'll get it nice and juicy for ya'.
- Buck :
Get in your mouse, and get outta here.
- Buck :
I've been known to circumcise a gnat. You're not a gnat, are ya', Bug? Wait a minute…Bug…gnat…is there a little similarity there? Whoa, I think there is.
- Tia :
I've got better things to do than babysit you, you little stain.
- Tia :
If my whole family moved away from me, I'd have a heart attack, too.
[with no apparent breaths taken]
- Miiles :
Where do you live?
Buck :In the city.
Miiles :You have a house?
Buck :Apartment.
Miiles :Own or rent?
Buck :Rent.
Miiles :What do you do for a living?
Buck :Lots of things.
Miiles :Where's your office?
Buck :Don't have one.
Miiles :How come?
Buck :Don't need one.
Miiles :Where's your wife?
Buck :Don't have one.
Miiles :How come?
Buck :It's a long story.
Miiles :You have kids?
Buck :No, I don't.
Miiles :How come?
Buck :It's an even longer story.
Miiles :Are you my Dad's brother?
Buck :What's your record for consecutive questions asked?
Miiles :Thirty-eight.
Buck :I'm your Dad's brother alright.
Miiles :You have much more hair on your nose than my Dad.
Buck :Nice of you to notice.
Miiles :I'm a kid, that's my job.
10 /10 
nice,
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