Netflix ’80s Comedy Classic Gives Iconic Actor His Funniest Role
The late John Candy gave film audiences some of the most memorable comedic characters throughout the 1980s and 90s. Before his untimely death in 1994, the Canadian-born actor starred in the holiday favorite Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with Steve Martin, the Great Outdoors with Dan Aykroyd, and in the Mel Brooks sci-fi spoof Spaceballs, playing roles that would cement him in film history as one of the most legendary comedic showmen of his era. Fans of Candy can now tune into Netflix to see him in what many consider to be his most hilarious role, as the title character in the 1989 film Uncle Buck.
The Premise
Uncle Buck centers around its title character, Buck Russell (John Candy), who is summoned out of desperation by his brother Bob (Garret M. Brown) and sister-in-law Cindy (Elaine Bromka) to stand in for a babysitter for their three children after a family emergency sends the couple out of town for a few days.
Cindy is right to have reservations about leaving her kids in the care of Buck. The middle-aged man is a heavy drinker whose only discernible income derives from his winnings at the horse track.
Tia’s Revenge
Dear old Uncle Buck arrives to greet his nephew Miles (Macaulay Culkin) and niece Maizy (Gaby Hoffman), but is rebuffed by the eldest Russell child Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly). Over the course of the next several days, Buck shines through to his young relatives as much as he shocks them with gross levels of incompetence around the house.
But when he blocks Tia from sneaking out to have a tryst with her loser boyfriend Bug (Jay Underwood), his vengeful niece works to get his already exasperated girlfriend Chanice (Amy Madigan) to dump him.
A Family Man
Uncle Buck sees Candy’s character comically struggle with his desire to keep living a carefree life with no responsibilities while trying to maintain a relationship with a woman on the brink of leaving him.
Buck’s newfound love for his family and the sense of responsibility he is trying to instill in them becomes a catalyst for changes in his own life, his character truly experiencing growth along the way.
John Hughes
Uncle Buck was both written and directed by John Hughes, the brains behind iconic 80s films The Breakfast Club, National Lampoon’s Vacation, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, just to name a few. Hughes and Candy had worked on numerous projects together, though this was the first to have the actor in a starring role under Hughes’ direction.
Hughes and Candy made for the perfect combination of behind-the-scenes mastery and on-screen presence and gave fans a high-energy movie with big laughs at every turn.
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
While John Candy is certainly the main attraction, Uncle Buck had multiple stars whose performances were unfortunately upstaged by Candy’s large presence.
Laurie Metcalf and Jay Underwood steal every scene that they’re in, and a pre-Home Alone Macaulay Culkin gives moviegoers a sneak peak at the precocious character the young actor will soon play in the John Hughes holiday classic.
Uncle Buck casts John Candy in a role that is certainly one that fans will remember. It’s a true comedy through and through, giving fans plenty of laughs stretched over a storyline that never falters.
You can stream John Candy in Uncle Buck with a subscription to Netflix.
