Uncle Buck (1989)

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

Director:

John Hughes

Writer:

John Hughes

Stars:

John Candy, Macaulay Culkin, Jean Louisa Kelly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Candy	...	Buck Russell
Jean Louisa Kelly	...	Tia Russell
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Maizy Russell (as Gaby Hoffman)
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

Storyline

As an idle, good-natured bachelor, Uncle Buck is the last person you would think of to watch the kids. However, during a family crisis, he is suddenly left in charge of his nephew and nieces. Unaccustomed to suburban life, fun-loving Uncle Buck soon charms his younger relatives Miles and Maizy with his hefty cooking and his new way of doing the laundry. His carefree style does not impress everyone though - especially his rebellious teenage niece, Tia, and his impatient girlfriend, Chanice. With a little bit of luck and a lot of love, Uncle Buck manages to surprise everyone in this heartwarming family comedy.

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Plot Keywords:

twin | watching tv | character name as title | man wears eyeglasses | universal | 

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Taglines:

He's crude. He's crass. He's family.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Madigan, John Candy and Laurie Metcalf have co-starred in films with Kevin Costner. Hoffmann and Madigan in Field of Dreams (1989) - interestingly released in the same year as Uncle Buck - and Candy and Metcalf in JFK (1991).

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Goofs

In the early scene where Bob calls Buck to ask him to house-sit while he and Cindy are away, Buck's overnight "guest" is obviously a blow-up sex doll, not a living breathing female companion. Buck even says "I just used your Christmas present", glancing at the inanimate object beside him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tia: Get your bag off the table, people eat there.
Maisey Russell: People eat off of plates.
Tia: Don't give me any crap, Maizy.

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Crazy Credits

When the movie finishes, John Candy's voice yells "Wake up!", followed by the sound of an air horn and John laughing.

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Alternate Versions

In January 2021, Hats Off Entertainment presented a previously unseen deleted scene on its Youtube channel. The ten-minute scene shows Buck playing various games in the Russell household with his gambling buddies and a pizza delivery man. After playing charades, they play a game of musical chairs for money. Buck loses the game, but refuses to pay out to the other players and is chased.

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Connections

Spoofed in Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio: For Knowles (2016)

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Soundtracks

SLIDE
Written by Derek Greening
Performed by Flesh for Lulu
Under license from CEMA Special Markets, Capitol Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Classic John Candy

Really, this is funny from start to finish, and pretty smart too. A great comedy, this is also a fine movie about growing up - for every character in the film. Obviously, the most important is Uncle Buck himself, a man- child long overdue for some responsibility. But his nieces, nephew, sister-in-law, and even "Bug" ("What is his last name? Spray?") are in for some character development. Of course, Candy and his half-hang-dog, half- know-it-all, and half know-nothing (yes, that's too many halves) together carry the film, but the others hit their marks as well -- kids, teens, and adults as well. There are some classic moments - I think about Buck's friend down at the crime lab who can analyze a toothbrush to make sure the kids brushed their teeth every time my kids claim they've brushed their teeth when I know they didn't spend enough time in there. But mostly this is a comedy with an actual plot, and nicely done.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Uncle Buck

Filming Locations:

Wheeling, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,794,501, 20 August 1989

Gross USA:

$66,758,538

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$79,258,538

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Hughes Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1