Films And Comfort Food: Uncle Buck. Watching Feel Good Movies.

Hi, tonight's episode of the Binge-Watchers Podcast is all about John Candy and a great little feel good comedy called Uncle Buck.

Binge-Watchers is a late night show for your ears with entertainment news, film history, philosophies based on movie plots, hear the adventures and successful failures of our host, JOHNNY SPOILER joined by his buddies he has known since film school, DANGEROUS DAVE, NICKY LATES, and sometimes, their friends from TV, Film, and Music come along for the ride. One epic binge-watch after another. You could say this crew are professional binge watchers because they are movie fans that grew up to to try to make some films of their own as they navigate the industry, day jobs, and real life.

On Tonight’s Exciting Episode:

• All the "Bucks" in Hollywood were considered for the lead role in Uncle Buck.
• A brief intro of John Candy films for the uninitiated.
• What is Uncle Buck about? Here is the synopsis: "When Cindy (Elaine Bromka) and her husband, Bob (Garrett M. Brown), have to leave town for a family emergency, there is only one person available to babysit for their three kids: Bob's lazy, carefree brother, Buck (John Candy). While he immediately gets along with the two younger children (Gaby Hoffman, Macaulay Culkin), Buck must change his bachelor lifestyle if he wants to be a responsible caregiver for the angst-filled teenager, Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly)."
• Mom and daughter issues in this movie.
• John Hughes's signature musical/dramatic beat in his film editing.
• Spoiler alerts for plot 3 mins, 55 secs.
• Making time for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
• The lost art of making giant pancakes.
• Dealing with teenage nieces.
• "Stranger danger."
• Show and tell gags.
• Boxing birthday clowns.
• Why Uncle Buck is a feel good movie.
• Where you can watch Uncle Buck.

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Transcript

spk_1:   0:02
all

spk_0:   0:02
right there. That'd be cool. Bring that up again, and then we'll start going

spk_1:   0:06
Well. Oh, um, yeah, if you look upon I am Devi. Seems like everybody in Hollywood was tryingto be in this movie. Always considered for the role. Uh

spk_0:   0:19
huh. I didn't work. Correct.

spk_1:   0:26


spk_0:   0:59
there's this movie called Uncle Buck. It's got John Candy. If you're a fan of planes, trains and automobiles, which we talked about in our days and confused episode, you might want to be looking up John Candy movies. He was a Canadian actor. He was in second City. I think he's in. Ah, funny mock, you mentally called Canadian Bacon. Then he's in a bunch of other comedies. Um, he died tragically. Unfortunately, he died of heart disease like too early, like during shooting one of his movies. And he's not a lot of serious dramas, but it was featured in one of the movie's about the John F. Kennedy like assassination. But okay, also, he's in space balls. So I mean, what else is that I have to do? Yeah, but like I said. He's been playing trains and animal bills. He's in a movie about security guards with social role. He's looking up guys. I mean, he's like he's like Prime grade a choice American actor. He's was an amazing guy and survived by his kids. But he said, this one we called Uncle Buck where he plays like a ne'er do well, and it's kind of like This is the guy you don't want to watch your kids. He's the uncle that shows up. Maybe it holidays if you're lucky or you don't hear from them for several years at a time and right off the bat, like his girlfriend's, giving him a hard time about being irresponsible. He's supposed to start a new job like all of his good luck is finally running out and whatever. He's a popular character at the bowling alley. But then his brother is like on my wife's dad might be dying of a heart attack. We need you to watch the kids, so he's got a teenage niece. He's got Macaulay Culkin is a nephew, and what's the other girl grows

spk_1:   2:36
up getting the hosts

spk_0:   2:37
a rogue. Abbie Hoffman. Yeah, so I want to see early Gabby Hoffman like in one of her first rolls, and she's kind of Ah, in the actor, I guess now. But anyway, So Uncle Buck shows up, save the day he's gonna come in while the parents are away for this week. And really, this whole movie kind of breaks down to like a, um, conflict between Uncle Buck in the teenage daughter and a teenage daughter has a lot of problems with her mom. It's like an unresolved issue that goes across the whole movie. We're gonna wrap it up. I mean, John Hughes movie. So, you know, at the end it's gonna be wrapped up in a nice little bow tie. And what's funny is I should have looked up, which came up first if this came out first. Our planes, trains and automobiles because they have a musical cue at the end

spk_1:   3:22
of the characters

spk_0:   3:22
are reconcile ing, and it's like almost the same Q. So I don't know which movie did at first, but they literally have the same music you to signify something like a homecoming at the end.

spk_1:   3:32
Okay, so spoiler alert. So planes, trains and automobiles came out first. So now that you've mentioned that I because spoiler alert Sorry for this movie. If you kill me, you're talking about with the mother and the daughter. Yeah, and they're trying to be quiet. And of course, he stumbles and knocks down a bunch of dishes and he's off. Shit. So now that I think about that, that's kind of I think that's kind of playing off of the joke of that. Planes, trains and automobiles.

spk_0:   4:02
Yeah, I'm talking about, like, worse in plan trains and automobiles. Steve Martin spends the whole movie trying to get home on Thanksgiving to his wife and kids, and he encounters Ah, a salesman played by John Candy. And they have to work together to get across the country, and it's like a road trip disaster after disaster. And then he walks through the door at the end and they start playing music. And he's just like looking at the wife. And she's looking at him in the doorway and, like, literally, the teenage daughter was standing in the hallway and the mom came to the door and there was a musical cue, and it was kind of like the same scenario, you know?

spk_1:   4:36
Yeah, I picked up on that, too. Yeah, it was very

spk_0:   4:41
like the editing was the same. The cinematography was the same, and I the music might have literally even been the fucking same music, so I mean,

spk_1:   4:51
that's not surprising. I mean, John Hughes. Um, John Hughes is a great director of actors and a great writer, but he was not necessarily a great visual director, so I can totally see him copy himself,

spk_0:   5:02
But But, look, I mean, he gave us, uh, Breakfast club. Yeah, and Ferris Bueller, right? Did he defend? Okay. All right. Um, folks, we want somebody movies. You sometimes forget. I look, I've seen a ton of shit and, like, somewhere they forget, but I remember the movie. So that's good. Um, let's see. So it starts out. He's kind of like getting used to the little kids. And like, what? What's funny is like the first feel good moment of the movie is like, he's making giant pancakes. Oh, man. Like he doesn't know how to make, like, he's basically shows up, and he wants to integrate himself into the family life. And he makes these oversized pancakes with a giant spatula like, but what's so special. It's like for a wood fired pizza

spk_1:   5:50
or something. It's like a woods. Are snow shovel almost?

spk_0:   5:54
Yeah, exactly. It looks like it's no trouble, but I think it's literally the thing that you stick like pizzazz into a wood fire grill with like it has a specific name. But I forget what it's called. Um, and yeah, he makes giant pancakes, which thrills the kids. And then Macaulay Culkin like, interrogates him because for some reason, this kid has a weird thing like he, like, obsesses over stranger danger. There's a weird cut later in the movie, when his girlfriend is coming over to watch the kids cause the niece, the teenage niece disappears and John Candy Uncle Buck has to go look for her in the middle of the night. His girlfriend stays with the younger kids, but Macaulay Culkin won't let her in the door. He's looking at her through the mailbox slot in the door, the mail slot And, um, Did you see that jump that, like flash cut of like the three faces of three men? Did you see that?

spk_1:   6:42
Um, I don't remember that.

spk_0:   6:44
It's kind of creepy. Like Macaulay Culkin's looking through the thing. And then, like I think, is he supposed to be imagining what three robbers looked like? Maybe. And it flashes the faces of three minute that is gone, and it's like only in the frames for, like, a few seconds. And, um, but there's no there's no lead up to it, No indicator that the kid is fantasizing about it. You just have to make the assumption. It's kind of awkward, like it really shouldn't be in the movie, but it is. And it was so jarring, like I've never noticed it in Uncle Buck, but I noticed it this time, but I was playing on a computer. Look, I don't have anything to do with, like frame rates are half fast my computer for anyone and watch the movie or it just had it. I just caught it at the right moment and saw, you know what I mean. But Uncle Buck, just like play $20 Bills, plays on TV all the time, so it's definitely like something like hands like it's not actually holds him. He's smoking through the whole movie. He's smoking at school, you know? You know, I mean, like, it is again. They tryto paint him was like a sloppy narrator. Well, but he's not actually not that bad. The neighbor across

spk_1:   7:47
the street is like

spk_0:   7:49
is like a lonely housewife when she comes over the bug, Um, and then the teenage daughter gets into trouble. But then he's like trying to keep a teenage daughter away from her stupid boyfriend. You know, I mean, like, he's trying to bug. Yeah, a guy who calls himself Bug and you know, Uncle Books tryingto, I know keep his teenage needs out of trouble. And this time that I watched. That kind of really noticed that the whole movie's actually send it around the teenage niece and Uncle Buck's relationship she holds. She holds it against him that he was like in her life when she was a little kid and then disappeared and hasn't been like reliable or whatever. But Uncle Buck, I don't know if he's trying to do it, because he doesn't want to get in trouble with his brother, and he wants to impress his sister in law that it can actually be irresponsible. Look, if there's like an extra layer of him trying too hard or if you really is strict cause he doesn't want the needs to go anywhere. Do anything you don't mean like he like. So funny. He has somebody rules with that and then, like, he takes himto go to the bowling alley and then his friends who does horse bets with, like, Show up and And then, uh, somebody hits on the teenage niece squalor, Divino says. And there's one scene where he's, like considering, like exposing little kids to the horse betting. But he doesn't take them like he actually has, like, a a rational moment not to expose the kids to gambling or whatever,

spk_1:   9:17
but see, I took it as what I watched it this time that it wasn't then. He's trying to be so much of, ah, strict disciplinarian so much as because he's kind of, you know, the movie tries to paint him as a low life or ne'er do. Well, yeah, I always took it as in like, Oh, he could see through people like Bug, And he didn't want his needs to associate with people like them because he knows where that's gonna go. Yes, well, I took from it.

spk_0:   9:46
Well, maybe he was thinking like teen pregnancy. Your life is ruined forever. You're gonna end up downtown, you know, kind of thing.

spk_1:   9:54
The one thing I mean, I haven't watched this movie in probably 15 years or so I forgot. Like how quotable it is. How much of it? I remember. This is what I used to watch. A lot of the kid. Quotable. We had, Like, what? We have the test. We never returned to the video store for this.

spk_0:   10:09
Really? That's funny. Yeah. What stands out? I don't think I don't think I didn't think the movie had it in quotes. Really?

spk_1:   10:16
Maybe for maybe it's just me. You know, maybe it's not everybody quotes, but, like, uh, uh, the the part where the little nieces in her classroom And I guess it count doing show and tell. And she tells the teacher he's like s O that he put he started drying the underwear in the microwave because he couldn't get the goddamn dish. Will r Oh, yeah, I'm dry It a word and a blast, Bieber.

spk_0:   10:43
Oh, yeah. And then he gets called down to the school and then, like, he talks about how the principal is like just destroying young minds or whatever. And he gives her You tell her like, here's 1/4 Go get that thing

spk_1:   10:56
right on out. Having that off your face for you. Yeah, that's, uh uh, uh. The has a lot of, like, one of my favorite things That doesn't happen that much anymore. Which is kid cussing where, like a little kid's cuts in that for some reason, always tickles me. Like in the beginning. McCauley cocaina him and assist older sister Arguing in the kitchen now is out of my armpit, Goddammit!

spk_0:   11:19
Oh, yeah, it's kind of funny. And And if you like Michael Holden at home alone, you get a C like a little bit of that kind of action here in Uncle Buck. If you're a fan, they go And then, like the lady across the street who's clearly a horn dog is played by, um, and whatever from, ah, is Becky know? Becky's the daughter. It's from Roseanne, the lady that Yeah, Laurie Metcalf. So you know, uh, and Uncle Buck he's not really in a compromising position because the movies mostly innocent. I don't think there's anything really too bad in this movie, but she's dancing with them and they're making dirty dancing jokes when his girlfriend actually shows up because the knees tries to start some shit, right? She tried to get up in trouble with his fiancee or whatever, and then, like the fiance happens to show up right when the neighbor across the street is trying to put the moves on Uncle Buck, Of course, you know, that's just like a total movie scenario. When I was watching that, I was kind of uncomfortable because I was like, Yeah, this is definitely like a movie plot because it isn't really real. Life doesn't really line up like that, you know? So it was like, This is definitely 19 Whatever. This is early nineties, right? Yeah,

spk_1:   12:32
91 1989. So,

spk_0:   12:34
yeah, it's definitely an old, older movie device that doesn't really fly today, Not not really in modern movie telling. That kind of set up is kind of played out now.

spk_1:   12:45
Well, the one thing I noticed this time watching and it is it's got like it barely has a plot like it felt like more of a reason to just have, you know, funny situations with John Candy. Oh, he's having trouble with the washing machine or he's have you know, he's, uh,

spk_0:   13:02
tiny urinals at this school.

spk_1:   13:04
Yeah, you know, there's a drunk clown birthday clown.

spk_0:   13:08
You forgot about the birthday clown. Yeah, they have a birthday party for one of the kids, and this clown shows up in his clown car, which is like a giant mouse slosh out of his mind and uncle, but doesn't stand for it. So he punches the clown out, which is like that. I mean, that's the trailer moment, right? John Candy?

spk_1:   13:26
Well, this time I watched it. I was like, I recognize that voice and I had to look it up and it's You wouldn't recognize him because he's a makeup in the movie, but he's, ah, character actor Mike Star who's been like a ton of things from like it would thio dumb and dumber. He's in fact, he's the guy that they, uh, they accidentally poisoned him. He's having a heart attack at the restaurant.

spk_0:   13:47
Oh, he's the one playing the clown.

spk_1:   13:50
Yeah, he lets him playing the clown.

spk_0:   13:52
That's one thing I wouldn't ever thought he'd be in a clown outfit.

spk_1:   13:54
I didn't think so, either, but I recognize the voice that I had to go look it up. I was like, Holy shit! Is that guy?

spk_0:   13:59
Yeah, play. So he plays a lot of, like, Italian Mafia type B dudes. And actually, they make fun of that in the office. He shows up an episode of the American office as like, he's an insurance salesman, but they actually think he's in the Mafia or whatever.

spk_1:   14:14
That's that's right.

spk_0:   14:15
Yeah, kind of funny. And then we get me often. We're going later to do like a really weird movie. Did you see that movie with Michael? Sarah and her? What? She's on acid, and they're, like, in Mexico or something. It

spk_1:   14:27
was I know what you're talking about, us Post. I was going to see it, but I haven't gotten around to it. Um, yeah, I know what you're talking about, but I can't think of the name.

spk_0:   14:38
So Gabby's gonna grow up to do some really weird movies. But in this, he's just like a little nine year old cater or whatever. And, uh and she's also very supportive Uncle Buck. She's like, actually his greatest fan, like he gets shipped from the other kids, but she's like in his corner of the whole movie? Pretty much.

spk_1:   14:53
Yeah. Um,

spk_0:   14:57
and then you said you knew who the girlfriend was, right?

spk_1:   15:00
Uh, maybe map again. Yeah. Amy Madigan. You

spk_0:   15:02
said a lot of stuff. I'm trying to think of what I've seen her. And like her in, Well,

spk_1:   15:06
she and

spk_0:   15:07
streets of fire. Was she the friend who drove the car around? Is that why I'm thinking of her? She's in that movie,

spk_1:   15:13
right? That it don't know that Michael party

spk_0:   15:16
movie that mean Nick

spk_1:   15:17
Click. Yeah, I know. I know what you want. You're talking. That's a good movie. Um, it's been so long since I've seen it. I can't remember if she's in it.

spk_0:   15:25
I think she is. I think she's the one that drives the car.

spk_1:   15:29
I thought that was in any pots, but I could be totally wrong on that.

spk_0:   15:34
I don't think it's Annie Potts. Three other joke about the running joke in the movie is the car that Uncle book drives, which is like on its last piston through the whole movie. You don't receive big cars like this anymore. I don't see too many of these giant boat like cars on the road that like a link and smoke. Yeah, big ass Lincoln type deal or Buick Buick was another one. Um, this is supposed to be the suburbs of Chicago. I really can't tell. I really can't tell where this movie is.

spk_1:   16:02
Yeah, I think it's supposed to be a Chicago suburb because even see him wearing, um, Chicago Cubs. Sure, our jersey at some

spk_0:   16:11
point. And then at one point, Mr Cool guys walking through a teenage party and they keep switching hats on him like he's looking for the knees, who runs away with the boyfriend at one point, and he ends up with a party with what looks like a bunch of yuppie kids. Like a bunch of like upper crusty Children who come from like Ivy League family's or something. They don't look like just a bunch of regular high school kids. They look very staged, unlikely this other movie that Dave's like, dazed and confused, where the kids actually seem like high schoolers. The kids in this movie kind of seemed very set up like not unique at all. But Uncle books walking through their party and then, at one point, like he has a beer in his hand, like it cuts away from him. Right

spk_1:   16:52
was into

spk_0:   16:53
a scene where you think the boyfriend and the niece are together. Cut back to Uncle Buck and he suddenly has a beer in his hand. So he's as he goes to this party. He's like the teenager just staring at it. But it seems like he's being Maur accepted because they're playing with this hat and then somebody hand hand him a beer at some point. To me, that's just really funny. Like they handed the guy a beer. And then he just took the beer, continued on his way through the party as it completes his quest to look for the niece.

spk_1:   17:20
That's what you do, I guess.

spk_0:   17:22
So, Um, so what? I think it's a feel good movie. It's a movie you can flip on. If it's on, you're actually gonna tune in and watch it for a few minutes, and then you start to feel good and it's John Candy and I was having a really shitty day, and then I saw Uncle Buck advertised to be on my little menu thing, and I was like, Okay, click And then I watched Uncle Buck for like an hour, and I felt better. I didn't finish the movie at the time. I actually went back and finished it tonight when I was gonna talk to Dave about it. But the fact that I stopped and watched it was a good litmus test, er indicator of being a feel good movie and making me feel good at that particular time because I was thinking about a lot of shit going on in my life. And I needed a little break from that. And Uncle Buck was fucking plane. So there you go. That's how it gets all lined up for me. The Uncle Buck scenario. Um,

spk_1:   18:10
I totally buy. This is a film. A movie I had watched in years and I thought Great watch.

spk_0:   18:15
Now let me make some film fans really grind their teeth. They made uncle book TV show. It just premiered. And I think the voodoo app it's their original content. Did you hear about this?

spk_1:   18:28
Well, I know that they have Ah, Mr Mom Show. But there was a Uncle Buck show with Mike Epps.

spk_0:   18:34
Oh, you know what? I got in reverse. You're right. They just Mr Mom themselves. But there was ah So Uncle Buck is the TV show's actually older. It's not new. I may have gotten the show's MC steps, so forget what I said. I'm totally wrong. There was Uncle Buck TV show, right?

spk_1:   18:52
Yeah, they're definitely waas. Yeah,

spk_0:   18:56
um crap. I thought I was Uncle Buck was brand new, but no. Um, what day was talking about is there is a Mr Mom show that somebody just came up with which wasn't Michael Keaton movie. And it's a pretty

spk_1:   19:09
good it could be a feel good movie for some people.

spk_0:   19:11
What? Oh, Mr Mom. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. And what's the subject for that? Suburbia domesticated

spk_1:   19:19
me, the family, The unlikely person having to step up and be the parent figure.

spk_0:   19:26
Actually, it is kind of like an uncle book plot, right? Somebody you don't think you can rely on to take care of Children suddenly is put in that position, right? Yeah. So Mr Mom totally fits into that category.

spk_1:   19:36
That the one we talked about a couple times earlier this year. Family falls into that to accept with a woman.

spk_0:   19:42
Uh, yeah, that's a new movie, folks. You can take a look at that one. Check it out. But you know, if you're going to stuff yourself with a bunch of pie, be pumpkin or ah, apple, it's more traditional. You're gonna nausea a turkey leg and you're a fan of cigars, don't you? Watch of a book, Sit back in your recliner. And if you have a dog, I can't say feed it beer. It happens in Uncle Buck. I can't endorse it in real life. I guess it's funny in a movie, but Uncle Buck could be a choice for the holiday season back. Enjoy Uncle Buck or watch another John Candy movie. Dave already pointed out. You could just watch plane trains and animal bills or Spaceballs. Even you could literally sit down and watch like a handful of John Candy movies.

spk_1:   20:28
Summer rental When a Holy

spk_0:   20:30
Shit Summer rental