L'oncle Buck

There isn't really much to be said about Uncle Buck. It is very good but it is a simple little film, one of those nice films to watch on a Sunday afternoon without having to rack your brain or think too hard.

The late John Candy excels here as Buck Russell who at first glance is a slob and without much going for him. However, as the film goes on, we learn that Uncle Buck does indeed have a heart. The film really is about a guy who looks like the type of man you would keep your family away from but who is in fact a guy with a heart of gold.

I recommend Uncle Buck to anyone who fancies watching a nice simple little film for the whole family to enjoy. And watch out for the scene with the drunken clown on the doorstep!

I gave this an '8', which is one or two more points than it really should get, but the simple fact is - I enjoy watching it over and over. John Candy shines as Uncle Buck. He brings the character alive and you can't help but wish you had a crazy guy like that as an uncle.

Well, maybe a distant uncle, but still he's warm, lovable and helpless in so many ways. As one would expect, the story is simple, the scenes mostly predictable (except maybe the ax-murder scene?) and of course there's a happy ending.

The little kids, Maisy and Miles, played by Gaby Hoffman and a slightly younger Macaulay Culkin, are simply adorable! The teenage daughter (Jean Louisa Kelly) perfectly portrays a teenage girl in the throws of that classic imbalance between childhood and adulthood.

Anyway - no one dies. No one loses an eye or an arm. No houses burn down. There are no explosions, no fighter jet scenes, no wild car chases - just plain old silly fun.

Go watch it. This is not a request! Uncle Buck says watch it!

The more I see of the foul-mouthed hacks who pass as the comedians of today, the better John Candy seems in retrospect. I miss John Candy and the relatively genteel 1980s. I miss John Candy as Del Griffith. I miss John Candy in The Neat Guys. I miss John Candy as Dr. Tongue. I miss John Candy as Johnny LaRue. I miss John Candy as Mayor Tommy Shanks. I miss John Candy as Harry Crumb. I miss John Candy as the Shmenge Brothers. I miss John Candy as William B. Williams. I miss John Candy as Jack Chester. I miss John Candy. Some day, they will create a strong AI-based avatar of John and we will be able to enjoy a simulacrum of John, which will have to do.

I agree with chapwithwings regarding John Candy vs Chris Farley & John Belushi. John Candy always had a sweetness about him that was obvious in any movie I ever saw him in & even though his comedy was sometimes a little over the top he was still more consistently funny than either Farley or Belushi. He could be laugh out loud funny but so vulnerable that you couldn't help but love him even though he was usually a bit of loser. I just saw Uncle Buck again today. It is one of my favourites along with Planes, Trains & Automobiles. I forgot how impossibly cute Macaulay Culkin & Gaby Hoffman were and Jean Louisa Kelly was totally believable as the angry young teen. I just really love a feel good movie & this is one.

There are some very negative critical reviews on this movie, which I think personally is unjustified. This film is very funny indeed, especially when the bowling ball falls on Buck's head. John Candy gives possibly his best performance here as Buck Russell. John Candy was one talented actor, evident in Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Cool Runnings, and I think comedy lost a truly great actor when he died, and I don't think he ever got the respect he so rightly deserved. This film is very funny indeed, sometimes the jokes are a little over-familiar, and the sentimentality gets in the way at times. Out of the child stars, who were all excellent, Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame is a standout. Cute and self-assured suits Culkin like a glove. There was great chemistry between the stars, and in conclusion, see this gem, of which I will award an 8/10 Bethany Cox.