SummaryBachelor and all round slob, Buck, babysits his brother's rebellious teenage daughter and her cute younger brother and sister.
Directed By:John Hughes
Written By:John Hughes
Uncle Buck
Metascore
Mixed or Average
51
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
51
33% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
58% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
75
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
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]
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
81% Positive
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
12% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
7% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Nov 29, 2015
10
I can understand the critics low score, it's not a classic, but as far as having a black sheep in the family (Buck) and dealing with teenage angst, this movie is hilarious. I have this DVD in my collection.
Apr 1, 2022
8
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.
50
John Hughes unsuccessfully tries to mix a serious generation gap message between the belly laughs in Uncle Buck, a warm-weather John Candy vehicle.
50
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]
50
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
Sometimes funny and, in the way of small-screen entertainment, so perfectly predictable that one could mail in the laughs.
38
Uncle Buck attempts to tell a heart-warming story through a series of uncomfortable and unpleasant scenes; it's a tug-of-war between its ambitions and its methods.
Dec 25, 2020
8
When Cindy’s father has a heart attack they’re left with no choice but to ask the good natured, but idle, ‘Uncle Buck’ to babysit their kids. Uncle Buck hits many of the familiar beats of many a John Hughes comedy, but in large part due to the charm and comic timing of John Candy, it succeeds in being a funny and heart-warming comedy.
Feb 5, 2016
8
Uncle Buck is just as enjoyable as you wanted it to be. It's an old classic that actually works and has not aged badly. Want the best movie to enjoy for yourself? This is it.
Jan 27, 2016
8
I have to admit i had to wipe away the nostalgia to write a review, it is one of the best john hughes movie and definitely one of Candy's best performances such a quotable film and so funny. Still holds up and worth a watch. Still a heartfelt even if you dont like the humor.
Feb 16, 2025
6
Uncle Buck has got that Hot n Cold razor entertainment as for me I really enjoyed John Candy’s performance as the title character.
Mar 19, 2020
1
Uncle Buck is a comedy from director John Hughes which stars the annoying Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone, John Candy, Gaby Hoffman and many other actors and actresses... Macaulay Culkin and Gaby Hoffman who are kids in Uncle Buck have their mum's dad or something die of a heart attack or something. Anyway their mum needs someone reliable to look after the kids for a few days and Uncle Buck (Candy) gets the job... This film is okay but has it's flaws and unlikeable characters such as Marcie played by Laurie Metcalf who's so weak as an actress, so childish, so annoying and unsexy it's unreal. The film isn't directed and made that well because most of the film is boring drivel with only a few patches of funny humour and funny things happening. Could of been better.
