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It's the most wonderful time of the year, and that means people gather around to watch lots of Christmas movies. If a Christmas movie isn't on, they also tend to look for good-natured entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. Enter Uncle Buck, John Candy's chilling classic that's been loved by audiences since it first hit theaters 35 years ago. For example, film is finding its streaming audience again as the holidays approach.
Director John Hughes' 1989 comedy is currently trending on Amazon Prime Video's Most Watched Movies list at number nine. FlixPatrol. While Uncle Buck isn't technically a Christmas movie, it has many of the hallmarks of one, including good-natured humor, Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin, and yes, John Candy, star of Planes, Trains and... Cars (a film that Candy helped make a classic with his honest improvisation). So it's not hard to see why people seek it out this time of year.
For those who might need a little refresher, "Uncle Buck" stars Candy as Buck Russell, a shunned bachelor who will be responsible for his nephew and nieces during a family crisis. However, as Buck tries to adjust to life in the suburbs while charming his younger relatives, his carefree attitude rubs certain members of his family the wrong way.
Like many other John Hughes films, Uncle Buck was a hit in its day and even spawned a TV spinoff which, well, the less said about it the better. (Mind you, I'm not referring to the short-lived 2016 Uncle Buck reboot series.) But this was the '80s, and such things were commonplace at the time. It's easy to forget that there was also a Ferris Bueller's Day Off TV show. There was also a Rambo cartoon made for kids, but that's a whole other conversation.
It's the perfect time of year for Uncle Buck
Right now, Prime Video's top 10 is outright dominated by Christmas movies. Also appearing at the moment are "White Christmas", "Love Actually", "Frosty the Snowman", "Jingle All the Way", "The Holiday" and "Red One". It's just that time of year! It's the same reason Bruce Willis' Die Hard was in the top 10 recently. People are returning to holiday classics this time of year. It's like a clock.
For the same reasons, it's not surprising to see "Uncle Buck" on this list. Again, it's not a Christmas movie, but it carries with it a lot of the same vibes that one wants from a movie when spending time with family and whatnot. There is something about Candy as a performer that is so charming and comforting. It's like a big, warm movie hug. This film, in particular, brings out that quality in him very well. That is likely why making Uncle Buck was more of a playground for the cast than hard work.
As for where one would rank Uncle Buck among the best John Candy movies? It's a matter of personal opinion as the man has starred in some real classics. Certainly Spaceballs and, at the other end of the spectrum, JFK certainly have to be up there. But any top 10 list without "Uncle Buck" in it would feel incomplete, in my humble opinion.
"Uncle Buck" is also available on Blu-ray and DVD through Amazon.
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