Synopsis
Buck Russell, a lovable but slovenly bachelor, suddenly becomes the temporary caretaker of his nephew and nieces after a family emergency. His freewheeling attitude soon causes tension with his older niece Tia, loyal girlfriend Chanice and just about everyone else who crosses his path.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- John CandyBuck Russell
- Jean Louisa KellyTia Russell
- Gaby HoffmannMaizy Russell
- Macaulay CulkinMiles Russell
- Amy MadiganChanice Kobolowski
- Elaine BromkaCindy Russell
- Garrett M. BrownBob Russell
- Laurie MetcalfMarcie Dahlgren-Frost
- Jay UnderwoodBug
- Brian TarantinaE. Roger Coswell
Recommendations
- 75
Chicago Tribune
As long as Hughes is content to provide a simple, flexible format for Candy, Uncle Buck is very entertaining. Hughes seems to have relaxed his usual controlling, compulsively tidy style, taking full advantage of the improvisational talents of his star. - 63
Boston Globe
Hughes succeeds more than he has any right to in Uncle Buck because he's able to override sitcom cliche with generosity. It's a smart idea to let Candy play feelings instead of just fatness and bluster. For a movie that isn't really that good, Uncle Buck is surprisingly likable. [16 Aug 1989, p.77] - 63
Miami Herald
Half-way through Uncle Buck, however, the plot abandons reality and is content to settle into the realm of cheap yuks. The film suffers accordingly and becomes so much like the unnatural potato chips and pretzel food snacks that our hero is fond of noshing. Uncle Buck tastes great, yes. But it sure doesn't fill you up. [16 Aug 1989, p.D6] - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Once again, Candy does his slob-with-a-heart-of-gold number. He's good at it. He can be a funny fellow. He can even carry a mediocre picture all by his lonesome, squeezing a lot out of a little. What he can't do is squeeze that much out of this little. [16 Aug 1989] - 50
The New York Times
Sometimes funny and, in the way of small-screen entertainment, so perfectly predictable that one could mail in the laughs. - 50
Washington Post
Uncle Buck is competent comedy, a bit simplistic, a bit stale, no gremlins, no gushiness, no surprises. A Hughes movie offers the kind of reliability you expect from major household appliances or a good set of radials. - 50
Los Angeles Times
Uncle Buck has a medium-level Hughes script, only about half as good as "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," about 50 times as good as "The Great Outdoors." - 50
Portland Oregonian
For all the film's patness and lame predictability, Candy gives it a strange charm. He seems to be inherently funny, and his subtle weirdness, so useful on SCTV, is handy here as well. It helps make seeing Uncle Buck marginally worthwhile. [18 Aug 1989, p.E13]
