Uncle Buck

Year: 1989

Grade: A

Country: USA

Director: Hughes

Review

john hughes on the down swing. planes trains and automobiles was hughes’ apex and this was one was the last great film that he wrote and directed. when this guy was hot, though, he was hot. no comedy can touch planes, trains, and automobiles, and uncle buck is damn good considering it rests entirely on john candy. the writing is tight and focused and the characters manage to be sympathetic and comedic at the same time. hughes combines visual, verbal and physical comedy seemingly without effort (especially in PTAA) and that usually translates to laughs of all sorts, for all sorts. this film has a little more of the dirty humor than is normal for his films, but i never felt it got so far in the gutter that it was tasteless. hughes is a great example of a guy who really should direct all the films he writes. home alone is good and columbus did a fine job with it, but when you watch something like this or PTAA, you notice how much direction is missed by letting someone as straightforward as columbus take the reins. hughes isn’t afraid to go out on a limb and interject some surreality or unique sound effects to heighten the comedy. watch this or PTAA and look for those things and you’ll see what i mean. i’ve seen this film a dozen or so times and i laughed as hard this time as i ever have.