Uncle Buck

This article is about the original film. For its 1990 spin-off TV series, see Uncle Buck (1990 TV series). For the 2016 series, see Uncle Buck (2016 TV series).

Uncle Buck is a 1989 American comedy-drama film written and directed by John Hughes. It stars John Candy and Amy Madigan with Jean Louisa Kelly, Laurie Metcalf, Jay Underwood, Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann, Elaine Bromka, and Garrett M. Brown appearing in supporting roles. The film tells the story of a bachelor who babysits his brother's rebellious teenage daughter and her younger brother and sister while the parents are away. It was released in theatres by Universal Pictures on August 16, 1989, and has grossed $79.2 million since its release.

Uncle Buck
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Hughes
Written by	John Hughes
Produced by	John Hughes Tom Jacobson
Starring	John Candy Amy Madigan
Cinematography	Ralf D. Bode
Edited by	Lou Lombardo Tony Lombardo Peck Prior
Music by	Ira Newborn
Production company	Hughes Entertainment
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	August 16, 1989 (1989-08-16)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$79.2 million

Plot

Bob and Cindy Russell have recently moved from Indianapolis with their three children, 15-year-old Tia, 8-year-old Miles, and 6-year-old Maizy, to the Chicago suburbs. Resentful about the move, Tia's relationship with her mother is fraught. The Russells receive a phone call informing them that Cindy's father has suffered a heart attack. Bob and Cindy unsuccessfully attempt to find a caretaker for the children, and are forced to turn to Bob's younger brother, Buck, whom Cindy believes to be unreliable and a bad influence. Buck lives in a small apartment in Chicago, is a heavy drinker and smoker, drives a run-down 1977 Mercury Marquis Brougham Coupe, and earns his living by betting on rigged horse races. His long-term girlfriend, Chanice, desires to get married and start a family, while Buck wants to retain his freedom and lack of responsibility; Chanice warns him that he will eventually end up alone.

Buck quickly befriends Miles and Maizy, whom he has never met, but Tia remains distant and rebellious. He settles into the Russell home and learns that he has been cropped out of his brother's wedding photos. Over the next several days, Buck takes the children bowling, ejects a drunken party clown from Miles' birthday party, defends Maizy from her school's strict assistant principal, and washes laundry in the kitchen sink because he cannot operate the washing machine. When Buck meets Tia's obnoxious boyfriend, Bug, he warns her that Bug is only interested in her for sex and repeatedly thwarts her plans to sneak out with him. In retaliation, Tia convinces Chanice that Buck is cheating on her with a neighbor, Marcy. When Chanice walks in on Marcy dancing with Buck, she ends their relationship. Buck laments that people used to envy his carefree life, but he realizes that lifestyle is no longer admirable.

After Tia sneaks out to a party, Buck decides to look for her instead of attending a horse race that would provide him with enough money for the entire year, and begs Chanice to look after Miles and Maizy. At the party, Buck forces open the door to a bedroom where he thinks Bug is taking advantage of Tia, but he finds Bug with another girl. He binds and gags Bug and locks him in his car's trunk, then finds a tearful Tia, who admits Buck was right about Bug. Opening the trunk, Buck forces Bug to apologize to Tia before letting him go. Bug threatens to sue Buck, but Buck hits him with golf balls, causing him to flee in terror.

Tia reconciles with Buck, then mends his relationship with Chanice by admitting her lie and telling Chanice that Buck would make a good husband and father. Buck also agrees to take a steady job at Chanice's auto shop. Bob and Cindy return from Indianapolis after Cindy's father recovers, and Tia surprises her mother with a hug; Cindy promises that their relationship will improve. As he prepares to leave, Buck invites Tia to meet up with him in the city before exchanging a loving goodbye.

Cast

• John Candy as Buck Russell, a bachelor who babysits his older brother's children
• Jean Louisa Kelly as Tia Russell, the oldest daughter of Bob and Cindy
• Gaby Hoffmann as Maizy Russell, the youngest daughter of Bob and Cindy
• Macaulay Culkin as Miles Russell, the only son of Bob and Cindy
• Amy Madigan as Chanice Kobolowski, Buck's girlfriend and proprietor of a tire shop
• Elaine Bromka as Cindy Russell, the wife of Bob
• Garrett M. Brown as Bob Russell, the older brother of Buck and husband of Cindy
• Laurie Metcalf as Marcy Dahlgren-Frost
• Jay Underwood as Bug, Tia's boyfriend
• Brian Tarantina as E. Roger Coswell, a friend of Buck
• Mike Starr as Pooter-the-Clown, a birthday clown
• Suzanne Shepherd as Mrs. Hogarth, the assistant principal of Maizy's school
• William Windom as Mr. Hatfield, the voice of the unseen neighbor of the Russells who Buck accidentally awakens upon his arrival
• Dennis Cockrum as Pal
• Anna Chlumsky as one of Maizy's unnamed classmates

Notable additional voices were provided by Patricia Arquette, Jack Blessing, Leigh French, and Julie Payne.

Production

The film was the first one directed, written, and produced by John Hughes under a multi-picture agreement deal with Universal. Filming began on January 4, 1989, in Chicago. The company decided to keep the production facilities and locations as close as possible. The vacant New Trier High School in Northfield, Illinois, was chosen for the production facility. Three of its gyms were converted into sound stages on which several sets were constructed including the two-levelled interior of the Russell House, Buck's bedroom, and smaller sets. The school was also equipped to suit the needs of the cast and crew behind-the-scenes, with classrooms for the young actors, offices, dressing rooms, a wardrobe department, editing facilities, a special effects shop, equipment storage areas, and a projection booth.

Production designer John Corso began designing the sets in October 1988 and within seven weeks his construction crew of twelve carpenters and five painters began work on the two levels of the Russell house. The elementary school corridor, the boys' restroom, the principal's office, and a classroom were filmed at Wilmette's Romona Elementary School. A colonial-style house in Evanston was chosen for the exterior of the Russell house. The exteriors and practical locations were shot in Chicago, Cicero, Skokie, Northbrook, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, and Riverwoods.

Reception

Box office

The film earned $8.8 million on its opening weekend in 1,804 theatres and was placed No. 1 at the box office. The film stayed in first place for three more weeks before being bumped down to second by Sea of Love. Its US earnings were 18th in 1989, and the film has earned nearly $80 million worldwide since its release.

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 62% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Uncle Buck has its ups and downs, but there's undeniable comedic magic that comes from uniting John Hughes, John Candy, and a house full of precocious kids." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a score of one and a half out of four, writing that Uncle Buck was unusually bitter and angry for a Hughes movie: "...Hughes is usually the master of the right note, the right line of dialogue, and this time there's an uncomfortable undercurrent in the material".

Television series and remake

Main articles: Uncle Buck (1990 TV series) and Uncle Buck (2016 TV series)

A television series was broadcast on CBS in 1990. It starred Kevin Meaney as Buck, a slob who drinks and smokes. When Bob and Cindy die in a car accident, he is named the guardian of Tia, Miles, and Maizy. The show was not received well by TV critics. After it was moved to Friday, in an attempt by CBS to establish a comedy night there, its ratings quickly plummeted and it was cancelled.

In June 2016, ABC premiered a second television adaptation featuring an African-American cast with Mike Epps in the title role, James Lesure as his brother, and Nia Long as Buck's sister-in-law. It suffered a similar fate as the previous TV adaptation, as it was poorly received by critics and then cancelled after eight episodes. In 1991, the film was remade in Malayalam language and released as Uncle Bun.

External links

• Uncle Buck at IMDb 
• Uncle Buck at the TCM Movie Database
• Uncle Buck at Rotten Tomatoes
• Uncle Buck at Box Office Mojo