You've mentioned just about everything that makes it work, but one thing I quite enjoy is how it shows the moral slide one can very easily take when parents are not fully engaged. The kids are very much beginning to fall away from their family's world and entering into Buck's, and he is able to see that, though at first doesn't quite realize why it's a problem. As the movie goes along he recognizes just where they're going wrong and how it applies to him. His own life is dingy and dirty, but it doesn't need to be. If only he would make the commitment to the right people and grow up he could finally fill that hole inside he could never quite fill.
It's also not quite the movie you would think from the comedic poster. How many sorts of films involve the wacky, black sheep uncle / relative having to come in and set those square parents right and show everyone the being cool and carefree is what matters above all. No, it is actually Buck who has the most problems, but it is his family (and his girlfriend) who bring out the best side of him. This is the lesson of the movie, emphasized in what sends the parents off: that family is irreplaceable and the bonds between them is necessary for everyone.
There is zero chance a movie like this could get made today. No way could anyone in Hollywood even begin to understand the core message. And if they did, they'd subvert it anyways.
Also, from all accounts I've heard, John Candy was one of the nicest guys in the business. Down to Earth, humble, a religious Catholic, and a dedicated family man. Once he died, John Hughes himself faded out of the industry and retired. Their friendship was just that strong, apparently. The only other actors I've seen get that kind of a reaction were Chris Farley and Phil Hartman. It does feel like the end of an era when one considers when they all died. The industry is pretty unrecognizable now.
I was hoping you’d comment on the man! It’s amazing how well this movie holds up. I watched it three weeks ago (July 2023) and it still hits the way it did when I was a kid. Deeper, now that I’m a parent.
You nailed the aspect about how it’s a movie about family, from the first scene to the last. It’s wild how adults, not that long ago, were viewed as important to a child’s life. 1989 was right at the tale end of this still being a majority opinion in America. The clownishness that’s been allowed to metastasize since then I’d truly breathtaking.
And agreed about the poster being misleading. Anything to attract the lowest common denominator I guess. Also: if Buck is considered crass and crude . . .
IIRC critics at the time even called it cynical and mean-spirited. Although, that's not something I see at all. It's very much the opposite. Then again, that was a different world. Nowadays this movie shines brightness unheard of in modern Hollywood.
Great analysis, here. Me and my friends were talking about John Candy movies the other day, and this was, of course, one that we discussed a lot. The term "they don't make movies like that today" gets thrown around these days a lot, but it really is true. Culture today is so poisoned by irony, even the movement of "new sincerity", as it's called by some, still feels... dubiously genuine. The idea is that "irony is out, embrace cringe" or what not still feels disingenuous in a way, since if it came from a place of true sincerity, there'd be no need to "hang a lampshade" on it by calling it "cringe" and showing how self-aware you are about it all. Worse still, there's a lot of encouragement in today's culture to be honest and open and vulnerable, but so often times when people are, they're shut down or ridiculed. Like, yeah, you should "be honest and open", but, wait, no - not THAT honest and open. Just honest and open in a socially acceptable, easy to digest way that doesn't make anyone uncomfortable.
No one can just be honest, open, and genuine. In a way, it's dangerous to be so, more so today than ever, where everyone has a camera in their pocket and the online panopticon of social media can catch you in a moment of inadvertent vulnerability and the next thing you know, everyone is laughing at you on TikTok. The amount of videos I've seen from that wretched site of people filming others, both unaware out without their consent, making fun of them and laying them on blast for doing something totally innocuous or a bit eccentric but harmless... it's sickening. So, in a sense, I don't really fault anyone for not being sincere - it's not really a luxury many can afford, it seems, especially young people who are still building their identities, and trying to establish themselves in a world where any raw, unfiltered display of emotion will probably just get you harangued.
I guess what it boils down to is in both art and society at large, telling the truth and being sincere is anathema to the current zeitgeist. We're just supposed to accept the piss coming down in buckets on our head and accept it as rain.
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you liked my write-up.
Excellent point about the new (nü?) sincerely feeling off because it’s so self-conscious and fake. One doesn’t try to be sincere; one just is. It makes me sad to think about your point that people are so afraid to be themselves due to the ubiquity of technology, but I can’t disagree with that premise. I’d there was one invention I would disappear if I could it would be the internet. Alas, the Butlerian Jihad may never come. Or maybe the tech optimists will be proven correct. We shall see.
The best way to overcome this presumption of fakeness is to seek truth in our own lives. Find honest enjoyment with honest people. Easier said than done, of course.
I love this movie. I remember as a kid thinking "I wish I had an Uncle Buck." So, as a mom, I try my best to be there for them, they know they can come to me or Dad for any reason. They know we're there for them. Trouble with a teacher at school? No problem. I didn’t have that. Now when we all watch it together, they can just laugh at the jokes.
"Take this quarter, go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face." RIP John Candy
I absolutely love this movie and always have. And as you described, the takeaway has changed as I’ve gotten older. If I’m not mistaken, you and I saw it in the theater when it came out. As a 9/10 yr old, I just thought it was funny as hell. As I got older, I saw the things you mentioned (the family dynamic, etc). Besides the world in which it existed no longer existing any more, the other thing that gets me in the feels every time I watch this is missing John Candy. He was hilarious, a giant talent (no pun intended whatsoever), and by all accounts a genuinely nice guy. Another relic from a bygone age.
I don’t remember seeing it in the theater, but maybe we did. I do remember seeing Back to the Future and Teen Wolf in the theater, which we’re not talking now though, so it’s a moot point.
John Candy was such a great Everyman actor. He had a warmth like Jimmy Stewart did that made the characters feel real. I’m also heartened to hear you and JD report that Candy really was that kind of person in real life.
This was a lovely movie. One I haven’t seen in years. I’ll have to remedy that.
The movie absolutely still holds up. It has a real timeless quality.
Uncle Buck is my favorite John Hughes movie.
You've mentioned just about everything that makes it work, but one thing I quite enjoy is how it shows the moral slide one can very easily take when parents are not fully engaged. The kids are very much beginning to fall away from their family's world and entering into Buck's, and he is able to see that, though at first doesn't quite realize why it's a problem. As the movie goes along he recognizes just where they're going wrong and how it applies to him. His own life is dingy and dirty, but it doesn't need to be. If only he would make the commitment to the right people and grow up he could finally fill that hole inside he could never quite fill.
It's also not quite the movie you would think from the comedic poster. How many sorts of films involve the wacky, black sheep uncle / relative having to come in and set those square parents right and show everyone the being cool and carefree is what matters above all. No, it is actually Buck who has the most problems, but it is his family (and his girlfriend) who bring out the best side of him. This is the lesson of the movie, emphasized in what sends the parents off: that family is irreplaceable and the bonds between them is necessary for everyone.
There is zero chance a movie like this could get made today. No way could anyone in Hollywood even begin to understand the core message. And if they did, they'd subvert it anyways.
Also, from all accounts I've heard, John Candy was one of the nicest guys in the business. Down to Earth, humble, a religious Catholic, and a dedicated family man. Once he died, John Hughes himself faded out of the industry and retired. Their friendship was just that strong, apparently. The only other actors I've seen get that kind of a reaction were Chris Farley and Phil Hartman. It does feel like the end of an era when one considers when they all died. The industry is pretty unrecognizable now.
Anyway, great review for a great movie.
I was hoping you’d comment on the man! It’s amazing how well this movie holds up. I watched it three weeks ago (July 2023) and it still hits the way it did when I was a kid. Deeper, now that I’m a parent.
You nailed the aspect about how it’s a movie about family, from the first scene to the last. It’s wild how adults, not that long ago, were viewed as important to a child’s life. 1989 was right at the tale end of this still being a majority opinion in America. The clownishness that’s been allowed to metastasize since then I’d truly breathtaking.
And agreed about the poster being misleading. Anything to attract the lowest common denominator I guess. Also: if Buck is considered crass and crude . . .
IIRC critics at the time even called it cynical and mean-spirited. Although, that's not something I see at all. It's very much the opposite. Then again, that was a different world. Nowadays this movie shines brightness unheard of in modern Hollywood.
I’m not seeing anything mean-spirited or cynical about Uncle Buck either. Critics are a special breed. Then again, cocaine was HUGE in the 80s.
I had my 11 year old boy watch it and he was terrified... I diddnt watch it with him and I had forgotten what it was like ahah.
Interesting! What about it did he find scary?
Great analysis, here. Me and my friends were talking about John Candy movies the other day, and this was, of course, one that we discussed a lot. The term "they don't make movies like that today" gets thrown around these days a lot, but it really is true. Culture today is so poisoned by irony, even the movement of "new sincerity", as it's called by some, still feels... dubiously genuine. The idea is that "irony is out, embrace cringe" or what not still feels disingenuous in a way, since if it came from a place of true sincerity, there'd be no need to "hang a lampshade" on it by calling it "cringe" and showing how self-aware you are about it all. Worse still, there's a lot of encouragement in today's culture to be honest and open and vulnerable, but so often times when people are, they're shut down or ridiculed. Like, yeah, you should "be honest and open", but, wait, no - not THAT honest and open. Just honest and open in a socially acceptable, easy to digest way that doesn't make anyone uncomfortable.
No one can just be honest, open, and genuine. In a way, it's dangerous to be so, more so today than ever, where everyone has a camera in their pocket and the online panopticon of social media can catch you in a moment of inadvertent vulnerability and the next thing you know, everyone is laughing at you on TikTok. The amount of videos I've seen from that wretched site of people filming others, both unaware out without their consent, making fun of them and laying them on blast for doing something totally innocuous or a bit eccentric but harmless... it's sickening. So, in a sense, I don't really fault anyone for not being sincere - it's not really a luxury many can afford, it seems, especially young people who are still building their identities, and trying to establish themselves in a world where any raw, unfiltered display of emotion will probably just get you harangued.
I guess what it boils down to is in both art and society at large, telling the truth and being sincere is anathema to the current zeitgeist. We're just supposed to accept the piss coming down in buckets on our head and accept it as rain.
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you liked my write-up.
Excellent point about the new (nü?) sincerely feeling off because it’s so self-conscious and fake. One doesn’t try to be sincere; one just is. It makes me sad to think about your point that people are so afraid to be themselves due to the ubiquity of technology, but I can’t disagree with that premise. I’d there was one invention I would disappear if I could it would be the internet. Alas, the Butlerian Jihad may never come. Or maybe the tech optimists will be proven correct. We shall see.
The best way to overcome this presumption of fakeness is to seek truth in our own lives. Find honest enjoyment with honest people. Easier said than done, of course.
Man, I've never seen this one and I love John Hughes movies.
This is one of his best.
I love this movie. I remember as a kid thinking "I wish I had an Uncle Buck." So, as a mom, I try my best to be there for them, they know they can come to me or Dad for any reason. They know we're there for them. Trouble with a teacher at school? No problem. I didn’t have that. Now when we all watch it together, they can just laugh at the jokes.
"Take this quarter, go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face." RIP John Candy
That scene with the principal is actually pretty brutal, but at the end of the day that character is not likable at all.
“That’s me, Uncle Melanoma-head!”
Such a great movie.
I absolutely love this movie and always have. And as you described, the takeaway has changed as I’ve gotten older. If I’m not mistaken, you and I saw it in the theater when it came out. As a 9/10 yr old, I just thought it was funny as hell. As I got older, I saw the things you mentioned (the family dynamic, etc). Besides the world in which it existed no longer existing any more, the other thing that gets me in the feels every time I watch this is missing John Candy. He was hilarious, a giant talent (no pun intended whatsoever), and by all accounts a genuinely nice guy. Another relic from a bygone age.
I don’t remember seeing it in the theater, but maybe we did. I do remember seeing Back to the Future and Teen Wolf in the theater, which we’re not talking now though, so it’s a moot point.
John Candy was such a great Everyman actor. He had a warmth like Jimmy Stewart did that made the characters feel real. I’m also heartened to hear you and JD report that Candy really was that kind of person in real life.
For sure on Candy. It comes through big time in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, too.
I had my 11 year old boy watch it and he was terrified... I diddnt watch it with him and I had forgotten what it was like ahah.