Uncle Buck

Uncle Buck is a classic that I had not seen for decades, but remember fondly. I’m not sure when I first saw this film, but I loved John Candy as a kid, and this was one of his most memorable roles. My wife and I alternate movie picks, and I used mine on Uncle Buck this week. As my wife strongly prefers more recent movies, she was reluctantly willing to give it a shot.

I find it incredibly hard to look at movies that I have loved for decades with an open mind, and that was particularly difficult here. The movie was filmed in my home town, is a Candy classic, and I’ve thought of it fondly for ages. That being said, it helped that my wife was pretty underwhelmed with the film. I wanted to defend it vigorously, but she’s right – Uncle Buck is a fine movie, but it’s not great.

The plot is kind of cute, but pretty cheesy. Buck is a screw up who doesn’t really know his brother’s family, yet has to come help out in an emergency. Although he gets along with the two little kids, his oldest niece hates him immediately. After events unfold, they grow closer. I don’t feel the need to put this in a spoilers section, as it is obvious where the movie is going to go as it begins.

I still love Candy, but this is not a laugh out loud funny kind of comedy either. There are a few iconic scenes, but overall the best part of the movie is the two young kids played by Culkin and Hoffmann. They are adorable and often the funniest parts of the film.

Sadly, Uncle Buck only gets a 5. It’s a fine movie, but nowhere near as great as I remember it.