Uncle Buck (1989)

IMDb plot summary: Laid back commitment-phobe Buck babysits his brother's rebellious teenage daughter and her cute younger brother and sister.

Directed by John Hughes. Stars John Candy, Macaulay Culkin, and Jean Louisa Kelly.

Uncle Buck is a John Hughes movie about a carefree, well-intentioned but frequently chaotic man who is tasked with watching his brother's kids while their parents are dealing with family emergencies in another state. Buck's methods are unorthodox, but he does his best to keep things going smoothly while parents are gone. This is a sweet, well intentioned movie. The more I see John Candy in films, the more I like him. There's more gentle chuckling than full-on laughs here, which is very on brand for Hughes, and that sense of gentle fondness helps smooth over the parts that don't fully work. Not one of Hughes' best films, but I get why people like it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Uncle Buck (1989)

📊 Ranked #1852/4163 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 56

beat Connie and Carla (#2080 → #2081)

lost to 20th Century Women (held at #1038)

lost to The Virtuous Sin (held at #1557)

lost to The Exorcist (held at #1817)

beat Bridge of Spies (#1949 → #1950)

beat Union Pacific (#1882 → #1883)

lost to White Heat (held at #1849)

beat Secret in Their Eyes (#1865 → #1866)

beat Bowling for Columbine (#1857 → #1858)

beat A Warm Corner (#1853 → #1854)

lost to Trading Places (held at #1851)

beat The Love Parade (#1852 → #1853)