Uncle Buck (1989) User Reviews

Uncomplicated simple and pleasant

[johnrp-1 · 8/10 · 27 December 2004]

I gave this an '8', which is one or two more points than it really should get, but the simple fact is - I enjoy watching it over and over. John Candy shines as Uncle Buck. He brings the character alive and you can't help but wish you had a crazy guy like that as an uncle.

Well, maybe a distant uncle, but still he's warm, lovable and helpless in so many ways. As one would expect, the story is simple, the scenes mostly predictable (except maybe the ax-murder scene?) and of course there's a happy ending.

The little kids, Maisy and Miles, played by Gaby Hoffman and a slightly younger Macaulay Culkin, are simply adorable! The teenage daughter (Jean Louisa Kelly) perfectly portrays a teenage girl in the throws of that classic imbalance between childhood and adulthood.

Anyway - no one dies. No one loses an eye or an arm. No houses burn down. There are no explosions, no fighter jet scenes, no wild car chases - just plain old silly fun.

Go watch it. This is not a request! Uncle Buck says watch it!

Classic John Candy

[dmlaspaluto · 8/10 · 15 July 2011]

Really, this is funny from start to finish, and pretty smart too. A great comedy, this is also a fine movie about growing up - for every character in the film. Obviously, the most important is Uncle Buck himself, a man- child long overdue for some responsibility. But his nieces, nephew, sister-in-law, and even "Bug" ("What is his last name? Spray?") are in for some character development. Of course, Candy and his half-hang-dog, half- know-it-all, and half know-nothing (yes, that's too many halves) together carry the film, but the others hit their marks as well -- kids, teens, and adults as well. There are some classic moments - I think about Buck's friend down at the crime lab who can analyze a toothbrush to make sure the kids brushed their teeth every time my kids claim they've brushed their teeth when I know they didn't spend enough time in there. But mostly this is a comedy with an actual plot, and nicely done.

A seriously overlooked jewel of a comedy!

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 11 May 2009]

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.

Decent Hughes, Decent Candy

[fruktflugan · 6/10 · 2 May 2011]

A decent John Candy movie and a decent John Hughes movie but does not really find a good niche for itself. The movie is very uneven, sometimes the jokes are too adult and sometimes they are too childish. I would hesitate letting my kids watch this all the way through, but at the same time about 40% of the jokes are obviously made for children.

So... It is hard to pigeonhole this. If you are an adult that can stand some humor in this being very low brow and adolescent -plus- have a thing for John Hughes or John Candy-movies then this film probably will satisfy some centra in your brain.

Decent film that suffers on some levels. All in all enjoyable.

6/10 from me.

While it's no "Planes, Trains & Automobiles", this is a pretty funny John Hughes/John Candy film with some good sentiment

[Beta_Gallinger · 7/10 · 16 April 2010]

I've seen several of the movies John Hughes made in the 80's (the decade I was born), none of which have failed to impress me. I first saw his 1987 film, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" starring John Candy and Steve Martin, in 2006, and thought it was a great comedy. I watched it for the second time late last year, over three years after my first viewing, and this didn't change anything. "Uncle Buck" is another movie written, directed, and produced by Hughes and starring Candy, both of whom are sadly no longer with us. I had known about this film for quite a while by the time I finally saw it, and I wasn't expecting it to be as good as the 1987 movie, which it isn't, but it was still enough to leave me with a good feeling.

Bob and Cindy Russell recently moved from Indianapolis to Chicago with their three offspring, Miles and Maizy, who are both under ten years old, and Tia, who is now a teenager. Cindy is informed that her father has just had a heart attack, so she and her husband plan to go to Indianapolis to visit the ailing man, but first, they will have to find a sitter for their kids. After several failed attempts, it seems they have no choice but to call over Bob's unmarried brother, Buck Russell to take the job, even though he is a lazy, irresponsible slob, which means this could lead to disaster! Nonetheless, Buck agrees to come over and stay with Miles, Maizy, and Tia while his brother and sister-in-law are in Indianapolis. Inevitably, his presence in this household does lead to some trouble, especially with Tia. She does not appreciate her uncle's presence and is currently going through a phase of teen angst and rebelliousness.

At the beginning of this movie, it's not all that great. When Tia (played by Jean Louisa Kelly) first appears, it doesn't take long for one to realize that she is a very unlikable, snotty character, though there are some fairly funny lines in that very early scene with the Russell siblings. I also didn't think Macaulay Culkin (in the role of Miles Russell) talking about a certain dog being a "ball-sniffer" that funny. However, as I had hoped, John Candy does a great job playing the title role. He plays the same kind of character here as he did in "Planes, Trains & Automobiles", a lovable slob. I think his talent really helps carry this film, and his character's antics are probably the main reason why so much of it is funny, with the slapstick and comical dialogue. Around the time when the character leaves his apartment and goes to the family's house, I was laughing very hard, with scenes such as his phone conversation before he leaves and Buck knocking on the wrong door when he arrives. If it stayed this way for the rest of the film, I would be giving it at least an 8/10, but it doesn't. Tia continues to be snotty, and for much of the film, I laughed a lot but not as hard as before, but Candy's antics still make much of this film entertaining, sometimes hilarious, with the lead character annoying Tia, scaring her boyfriend, the explosion sound his car engine makes, his conversation with the elementary assistant principal, etc. It helps that there are also some good dramatic moments in the movie, especially towards the end.

Basically, what makes this flick inferior to "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" is that it's not as consistent as its predecessor, and the 1987 John Hughes/John Candy collaboration certainly doesn't have any characters that are as off-putting as the Tia character is here. In between those two films, Hughes wrote but didn't direct a comedy entitled "The Great Outdoors", which also features Candy in the cast, but I haven't seen that one, so I don't know how it compares, but "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" and "Uncle Buck" are both funny comedies which can also be serious in some scenes, with good sentiment, and Candy really stands out in both of them. The two movies can also easily leave viewers with a good feeling at the end. I can understand why "Uncle Buck" doesn't have the appeal of its hilarious predecessor, but there is a lot to make it watchable, and it can remind us of the talent Hughes and Candy had.

JOHN CANDY'S FINEST HOUR

[dogcow · 9/10 · 22 September 2002]

Simply Candy's best film, second only to Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Only hughes knew what to do with Candy. He is completely charming as a total hapless slob who invades his newphew and neices life. Every scene in this film is memorable! Its sad such a comic genius is no longer with us, but he will always be rememered. If you see only one John Candy movie make it UNCLE BUCK.

'Buck Melanoma, Moley Russell's Wart'

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 20 February 2011]

John Candy is Buck Russell, a character very similar to Del Griffith from Planes, Trains & Automobiles. It's not surprising since John Hughes is the writer, producer and director of both films. Buck is a simple man with simple pleasures. He likes his freedom, his leisure time, and his bowling. He has a girlfriend who desperately wants him to grow up but...he can't be bothered.

But when Buck is called to the wintry, affluent suburbs to look after his brother's kids for a couple of weeks (much to his sister-in-law's horror) he learns what it's like to be a responsible adult and does surprisingly well with his extended babysitting chore (in his own unique way).

Uncle Buck was Candy's fourth (of five) collaboration with Hughes and the role is clearly tailor-made for him. He may be a slob, and the underdog, but he's the kind of relative you'll all wish you had. The comedy is underplayed and quiet, and the drama involving without being overbearing. It's all just easy-going entertainment that's perfect for brightening up a dull afternoon, and yet another reminder that Hollywood lost someone very special in March 1994.

John Candy is BRILLIANT as Uncle Buck.

[famousgir1 · 10/10 · 16 November 2001]

Uncle Buck is a brilliant and fun comedy for everyone. John Candy plays Uncle Buck, a guy who has to look after his brothers children for a while, as his brother and sister-in-law have to go away. The kids include a rebellious teen, Tia, and two sweet young kids, Maisy and Miles. As well as the great Joh Candy starring here, the just as great Gaby Hoffmann and Macaulay Culkin also star in this movie. I give Uncle Buck a 10/10.

A sensitive, often touching film that was made for John Candy's talents.

[gitrich · 10/10 · 4 December 1998]

Uncle Buck is a lovable character who, though irresponsible at times, loves his brother's children like his own. He winds up trying to deal with more than he bargained for when he must keep track of his teenage niece who tests the limits while her parents are not at home. It is funny and touching, something Candy does very well. This is a movie worth renting and one that teens and up can really enjoy.

Good comedy

[Atreyu_II · 7/10 · 16 August 2007]

"Uncle Buck" is an okay movie with lots of hilarious moments. This is no slapstick comedy, but it contains some dark and morbid humor... in a funny way, without going farther than that, which is a good thing.

John Candy is pure genius here. The role of uncle Buck Russell was perfect for him. Buck is a very clumsy yet lovable guy, not to mention that he's got a great sense of humor. I also like the other side of his humor: black and sarcastic. He says many funny lines, being «What's his last name, Spray?» only one among numerous others. John Candy was a great comedian. It's sad that he's no longer with us.

Jean Louisa Kelly does a great job by portraying the rebellious and vindictive Tia Russell. Tia has a terrible temper and is spoiled and bratty. Strangely that makes her funny (probably because this is in a movie) but in real life I couldn't stand someone like her.

Macaulay Culkin and Gaby Hoffmann (two talented kids from that time) star as the brothers Miles and Maizy. Both are cool kids, but Miles is the coolest and cutest of the two.

Other actors good in their roles are: Amy Madigan as Chanice Kobolowski, Garrett M. Brown as Bob Russell, Elaine Bromka as Cindy Russell, Laurie Metcalf as Marcie Dahlgren-Frost and Jay Underwood as Bug. (that's really his name? lol)

Another strength of this movie is in its soundtrack. There are plenty of nice and catchy songs, such as "Rhythm of life", "Tweedlee Dee", "Juke Box Baby", "Mr. Sandman" and "Wild Thing".

Uncle Buck's car is awesome. What a cool piece of junk/old land-yacht! It's a 1975 Mercury Marquis Brougham. That car produces unbelievable amounts of smoke through its exhaust pipe and the engine does that explosion-like noise, which only accents the comical effect. But in real life, a car polluting the air like that would make the driver get easily caught by the police. As much as Buck's car is an old wreck, it seems to be a strong car, although a slow one. I also like very much that mouse-like gray Volkswagen Beetle (Pooter-the-Clown's car) - it's sooo cute!

John Candy is to die for!

[imseeg · 7/10 · 11 May 2021]

From the same director that gave us "The breakfast Club", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". Each of them are comedy classics with a gentle heart...

This movie is in the same spirit as "Home Alone" but only this time around John Candy and a teenage girl are the main focus of the movie, with Macaulay Culkin only playing a smaller supporting role.

The good: this is one of the best John Candy films. Funny (sometimes hilarious) and charming and even with a lighthearted, warmhearted "dramatic" final. Suited for young and old.

The story: John Candy is a bum, who loves to be a bum and who loves his freedom to drink and gamble and bum around. Suddenly he has to take care of his brother's kids for a weekend, which he has never done before. Chaos and wild antics follows and what a joy it is to watch it all !

Entertaining fluff

[mattymatt4ever · 7/10 · 26 April 2002]

It's a John Hughes flick, don't expect anything deep and philosophical, or even anything unpredictable. What counts is John Candy is the star, and watching this movie on the Disney Channel helps me better realize how much of a great comedian he was. It's been a while since his death, and that's why it's good that they show this movie to pay homage to the great John Candy. The script is sometimes lame, and some of the bits don't work, but most of it does due to Candy's funny antics. His perfect handling of comic moments, including frying up a giant pancake and beating up an alcoholic clown, helps overcome the predictable, fluffy script. Plus, since the movie was made in the late 80s it was great to hear Tone Loc's "Wild Thing."

"Uncle Buck" is harmless family entertainment--far from great, but definitely watchable and quite funny.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

One of Hughes' best

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 4 November 2000]

John Hughes' Uncle Buck is a comedy that isn't as recognized as much as his acclaimed films (Home Alone, Pretty In Pink, Weird Science, Breakfast Club, 16 Candles), but this is just as funny and heartwarming as the others. Courtesy mainly of the lead John Candy as Buck Russell. He brings to the screen sarcastic humor that works best for him. Enjoyable throughout, even if sometimes the mushy stuff is unbearable. Favorite line "He, he, he, you ever hear of a ritual killing? hehehe". A-

Great John Candy movie!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 12 July 2003]

This in My opinion is one of the late great John Candy's best films! The story,acting,music,and cast is just right.The film is very funny and it is never boring.I just love the Uncle Buck character.The character always wants to have a good time,is always kind and does small and big things for people that he doesn't even have to do. I wish more people in the world was like this.Anyway I have seen it many times and in My opinion its a classic!If you haven't seen Uncle Buck and love John Candy,silly and serious comedies then check out this great movie!I highly recommend it!

At least chronologically an adult

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 4 August 2018]

Uncle Buck is never included many times in a list of good John Hughes films and I think it's because our protagonist is not an adolescent. Uncle Buck is a forty something man who at least is chronolically an adult. He's the kind of footloose character who just won't settle down.

It's a crisis at the Russell household as Elaine Bromka's father has a heart attack and she wants to rush to his side. In this emergency the only available baby and house sitter is her husband Garrett Brown's older unmarried brother good old Uncle Buck played by John Candy.

The younger two Gaby Hoffman and MacCauley Culkin are happy to have their Uncle Buck there because in many way Candy is not that much more mature than them. His real antagonist is teen Jean Louisa Kelly who is not real happy about a lot starting with the Russell family recent move from Indianapolis to Chicago.

In this comedy Candy plays a lovable oaf who does a bit of growing up himself in his babysitting gig. Candy and Kelly are a pair of nasty antagonists and she won't believe him when he says that Jay Underwood who is hot to trot for her lacks character. I mean wouldn't you think so if the character had the nickname of 'Bug'?

Candy also gets a chance to reassess his relationship with long time girl friend Amy Madigan. These two have been going out longer than Nathan Detroit and Adelaide.

Best scene in the film is when Candy pinch hits for mom at a parent teacher conference with Suzanne Shepherd, a most uptight assistant prinipal. Him telling her off is priceless.

One of John Candy's best films, still very funny indeed.

John Candy as a misfit uncle watching his nieces and nephew

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 28 December 2015]

Released in 1989, "Uncle Buck" stars John Candy as a black sheep uncle who housesits in a Chicago suburb while his brother and sister-in-law take an emergency trip. The teen daughter, Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly), takes a dislike to her eccentric uncle and he doesn't help matters by opposing her boyfriend, Bug (Jay Underwood). Amy Madigan is on hand as Buck's sorta girlfriend while Macaulay Culkin and Gaby Hoffmann play the younger kids.

This movie has garnered a decent reputation over the years, but I didn't see it until last night. It's an entertaining, but unexceptional dramedy with Candy as a likable slob, which he plays well. There are quite a few laughs and the conflict between Buck and Tia is entertaining. The redemption of one character and the growth of another are kinda heartwarming.

The film runs 100 minutes and was shot in the 'burbs south of Chicago.

GRADE: Borderline B-/B (6.5/10)

At Times Funny Before Turning Preachy and Mean

[nafps · 3/10 · 10 May 2023]

Candy and Richard Pryor were both great comedians in the 70s and 80s who only rarely were in films as funny as they were. Candy only starred in two good films, Planes Trains and Automobiles, and his greatest one, Only the Lonely, where he showed himself to be a good actor as well as comedian.

This is easily Candy's worst film. His whole appeal is his immense likeability. But here he's a mean SOB half the time, hostile and threatening. He bullies a woman for her appearance and at one point kidnaps and assaults a teenage boy, repeatedly threatening to murder him. Gee, how "lovable" is Uncle Buck, huh?

And Candy is trapped with a co star who plays the worst silver spoon fed stuck up brat you ever saw. No one feels any sympathy for this snob when she and her classmates look down at Candy for having (the horror!) an old car.

It's a John Hughes film, so you know what you're getting: Well off sheltered suburban whites who regard anyone who is not wealthy, suburban, or white as alien or threatening or to be mocked. These suburbanites have so much money they live in McMansions the size of some apartment buildings, with several acre lawns.

This film is strictly white people only, unlike 16 Candles or Weird Science where Asians and Blacks are there just to be laughed at. The twist is that Buck is the outsider for not having money.

You might feel more sympathy for Buck if he didn't become a bully halfway through. There are absolutely ZERO laughs for the last half of the film. Instead it's the pettiest kind of revenge, played for laughs. The niece's boyfriend cheats on her, and she and Buck bond over throwing him in the trunk, threatening to murder him repeatedly by using a drill or running him over, and hitting golf balls at him.

Yes, this is supposed to be "wholesome family fun." Kidnapping, threatening murder repeatedly, and assaulting a minor, all by an adult three times his size and age. About as wholesome as a Dirty Harry film.

Definitely an ugly thing to teach kids. "Violence against your ex boyfriend is A-OK. Get your uncle to do it for you! It will be fun!"

Underrated Gem

[Big Movie Fan · 2 December 2002]

There isn't really much to be said about Uncle Buck. It is very good but it is a simple little film, one of those nice films to watch on a Sunday afternoon without having to rack your brain or think too hard.

The late John Candy excels here as Buck Russell who at first glance is a slob and without much going for him. However, as the film goes on, we learn that Uncle Buck does indeed have a heart. The film really is about a guy who looks like the type of man you would keep your family away from but who is in fact a guy with a heart of gold.

I recommend Uncle Buck to anyone who fancies watching a nice simple little film for the whole family to enjoy. And watch out for the scene with the drunken clown on the doorstep!

Uncle Buck

[henry8-3 · 6/10 · 20 February 2021]

The parents of 3 kids incl one teenage rebel without a cause have to be left by their parents and call in rather irresponsible Uncle Buck (Candy). Inevitably the relationship between the 4 particularly the teenager doesn't start well.

Candy has a wit and charm and indeed the most memorably pleasant screen persona - his wry smile and how he chuckles at his own jokes carries this fairly straight comedy story to a pretty high level. It is wholly Candy's film and you can't take your eyes off him. A film to chuckle at.

John Hughes' most underrated

[tomgillespie2002 · 6/10 · 5 July 2011]

Having recently re-located from Indianapolis to Chicago, Bob Russell (Garrett M. Brown) is awoken in the middle of the night to the news that his father-in-law has had a heart attack. He and his wife Cindy (Elaine Bromka) must leave urgently and must need to someone to babysit their two young children Miles (Macauley Culkin) and Maizy (Gaby Hoffmann), and their angst-ridden teenage daughter Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly). Everyone seems to be unavailable, and they are forced to call Bob's brother Buck (John Candy), an overweight, lazy, jobless slob who is more than happy to his brother a favour.

Perhaps one of John Hughes' lesser remembered films (compared to the likes of The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Weird Science), it is also one of his underrated. While hardly reaching the heights of Breakfast and Bueller, it is still warm, nostalgic, and funny enough in its own right. As formulaic as the film is, Hughes' nack for the heartfelt sets it apart from the other similar films. And although he made very few films that were good enough to show his comedic ability, it reminded me just how funny and lovable John Candy could be before his unfortunate death (a sentence I never thought I would say/type).

The character of Tia has to be one of the most annoying characters in a Hughes movie since Anthony Michael Hall in Sixteen Candles. She is selfish, selt-pitying, and quite frankly, a bitch. This is clearly the point but I was just wishing Buck would get it over and done with and give her a good beating, rather than trying to 'understand' all this teen angst crap.

It does allow for a very funny scene involving Buck kidnapping her two- timing boyfriend. An arsehole of a character getting hit in the head with a golf ball is always a winner in my book. And over a decade before Austin Powers made fun of a mole, Uncle Buck delivers possibly one of the best lines of the 80's - (to a stuffy teacher claiming his niece is a 'bad egg') "take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!". Even though the film threatens to be ruined by an embarrassingly unrealistic and cheesy ending, this is still a fun film. And one I remember fondly from my childhood when I watched it religiously on VHS, after my granddad purchased it from my father's record shop, uttering the immortal line "a-we're buying it" (private joke between me and my brother so apologies everyone else).

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

The Man Called UNCLE!

[adamjohns-42575 · 6/10 · 11 January 2023]

Uncle Buck (1989) -

I have been avoiding this film for years. Not for any specific reason, I suppose there was a time when I found Macauley Culkin and John Candy a bit unfunny and cringey to watch and I just never got around to it after that, because I had other things to watch, but as part of my ongoing attempt to understand film better and to construct a list of the greatest films, I thought I should give it a go, in case it should be worthy.

There wasn't really that much to it. In a way it seemed like it was part of something bigger, like a sitcom episode or something where the parents as lead characters needed the week off, so the producers wrote in an Uncle character for a kids episode.

It was however relatively enjoyable, not exactly laugh out loud funny, not even in a cheap slapstick way, as I had expected, but in a subtle and easy way.

Perhaps if I'd watched it when I was a lot younger or when it was released, I wouldn't have understood the Uncle thing as much, but with the love I have for my own sisters offspring, I could definitely relate to his protectiveness of Tia, who quite frankly would have had a slap a long time before if she'd been mine, but it was clear that the parents were a bit clueless on that front.

I did think that Elaine Bromka in the role of the Mother was very good though. She provided a "Straight Man" for the rest of the comedy, which cleverly grounded it.

I could also see why Macauley, playing Nephew Miles, became so popular. It was clear from his performance in this film that he could go far, which I suppose he didn't live up to in the traditional sense, but for an 8/9 year old, he really knew how to deliver the lines with comedic timing, which probably lead to his casting in 'Home Alone' (1990).

So, it wasn't the worst film by a long shot, but I would have liked a bit more drama/excitement to it, perhaps some sort of shenanigans that saw them all in trouble until they pulled together. That may have given it more opportunities for jokes too, because it did need more.

619.21/1000.

This is a movie to watch again and again

[roy-c · 8/10 · 13 January 2013]

Very surprised that the rating is currently languishing below 7. It's so enjoyable

John Candy is great in this one - you're just rooting for him all the way. He plays the part of the lovable slob, who may not always make the best decisions for himself, but is remarkably shrewd when it comes to other people

Good family entertainment and is a great advert for Uncles (and Aunts too of course) to take a greater role on helping their young relatives find their way in the world

Feel good - yes!

Candy doesn't needs acting properly, he was the own Uncle Buck!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 27 December 2019]

I'm suspicious to talk about of John Candy, he was my favorite comedy actor on the eighties, Uncle Buck he doesn't needs acting properly, he was the own Uncle Buck, nice, friendly, and faithful, a little clumsy sometimes, he had a suitable vehicle to display how he really was, the kids on early sequence were afraid of too weird character, slowing he will gets their reliance, the problem is the teenager niece Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly) she was his most challenge along the movie, stroppy, unfriendly and vindictive, however Uncle Buck faces all this with forbearance, he hopeful waiting for to appropriate moment, has countless gags, the unbreakable plate, the washing machine, the microwave and the smoking old car, the movie became a series later, sadly Candy no longer was with us, how many movies he could give to us, as is own surname mean he was a "Candy Guy", but unfortunately no more John Candy!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1993 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5

A fun movie

[Navia · 8/10 · 22 December 2000]

Culkin is just irresistible in this movie... perfect timing and chemistry with the cast. Uncle Buck is a reminder that John Candy is sorely missed. This is one of my favorites, just because it's light, funny and warm. If you haven't seen it, pick it up at the video store and if you have seen it, see it again...

Typical Candy Performance

[sddavis63 · 6/10 · 5 May 2003]

One must concede that John Candy had the role of the lovable loser down to a perfect "T". Over and over again he plays variations on the same character and does it well. Here he plays Buck Russell, a shifty type who makes his living apparently by fixing horse races and who is suddenly forced by circumstances to look after his brother's children for a few days.

It's billed as a comedy, but to be honest I didn't find it all that funny, although there were a few chuckles, particularly as Buck tries to protect his niece Tia's honour (very much against her will.) But in spite of the lack of laughs I found the movie strangely compelling and never had the urge to tune it out.

Jean Louise Kelly put on a marvellous performance as the attitude-filled Tia, and it was interesting to see a very young Macauley Culkin in something other than the "Home Alone" series, playing her brother Miles.

Overall this is certainly not a masterpiece, but it's an OK timewaster in spite of the lack of laughs.

6/10