Uncle Buck (1989) - the lost version

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Timeless Classics, Jan 5, 2021.

  1. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    The topic is Uncle Buck, which is a movie. Leave the personal jabs at the door. Posts deleted. Carry on, but drop the hand wringing and personal stuff that questions fellow members.

    Carry on.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2022
  2. Torontotom

    Torontotom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I thought John Candy was excellent in this film (and Macaulay Culkin was a scene-stealer) but to echo some of the comments here, overall, I just don't find this one of the better or more watchable films in the Hughes filmography. One thing, I've never liked the teenaged niece. She's so rude and sour for most of the film. I know that's part of the story but I find her unpleasant as a character when I watch the film. Yes, she warms to Buck by the end but she treats him like garbage for most of the film that I just don't care for her redemption. Buck was a much more patient uncle than I am.

    I'm always curious to see deleted scenes. Even the almost-five minutes of uncut footage from Friday the 13th Part 2 which was part of the recent Scream Factory box set was such a revelation, especially for a film that's almost 40 years old. I finally watched The King of Comedy the other night and decided to watch some of the deleted scenes. I assumed they would be less than five minutes in total, but was completely surprised to see there was almost 40 minutes worth. Fascinating to watch some of the deleted and extended scenes. But I completely understood why Scorsese cut them.
     
  3. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Agree. From my review:

    "Buck follows two narratives: Buck “growing up” and accepting a potential parental role, and Buck’s rivalry with Tia.

    The first theme works fine. Sure, it echoes many other movies – like 1987’s hit Three Men and a Baby - but it remains a serviceable concept, and with Candy as the maturing manchild, that side of things seems fun.

    However, the Tia narrative feels out of place and forced. I get the impression Hughes thought he needed a serious side to the film, so he tossed in the clumsy conflict between uncle and niece.

    This never goes anywhere. We know that eventually Buck will win over Tia, and the journey to that outcome sputters.

    It doesn’t help that Buck paints Tia as a nearly 100 percent unlikable character. Sure, the film tries to add some sympathy to her tale, as we see how the family’s recent move impacted her life.

    However, the movie rarely attempts to soften her, and Kelly plays Tia as such a relentlessly nasty piece of work that the audience never roots for her. Granted, one could argue that Kelly gives a performance that works in real life, but she seems out of place in this sort of comedy."
     
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  4. SmallDarkCloud

    SmallDarkCloud Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC
    I suspect Hughes might have revised this idea in the movie Dutch (which he scripted but didn’t direct). Same idea, but in this film, it’s the whole story.
     
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  5. Torontotom

    Torontotom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Well said.
     
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  6. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Dutch...I liked that movie
     
  7. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    : )
     
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  8. Timeless Classics

    Timeless Classics Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I think it could still have been accomplished while allowing the audience to fill in the blanks to connect with the characters. There was basically zero dialogue with Buck and his brother in the entire film (except the initial phone call when Buck uses the clapper/his brother's present and asks Buck to come watch the kids). It was non-existent, which is strange, since he is the Uncle through his relationship with his brother and we see him looking at pictures of his brother's wedding day. They could have left in something, even if it was a 3 minute scene with his Buck and brother talking, to pull the bond with the entire family closer. Buck's healing/relationship connectedness with Chanice, Tia, himself, and the other 2 kids is obvious, but is so indirectly implied with his brother and his wife. This would have had a more emotional impact for me with Buck's character, though I get it is implied in the ending. A nice heart to heart moment, even very brief, with Buck and his brother would have been awesome in the film for me.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2021
  9. Timeless Classics

    Timeless Classics Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Part of the reason why I love this film and part of the magic of the film for me is how Hughes portrayed how out of touch the parents are in their kids lives (Tia's eye rolls, Miles not playing hockey, etc), and Buck (the screwup Uncle) becomes connected to them and knows what's going (Tia's rebellious problems, Miles not having friends, etc) in a matter of weeks. Buck's struggles (relationships, drinking, gambling, no job, etc) and his pain were finally brought to life and pushed to the surface through caring for the kids, which finally brought his maturation which he was avoiding all his life (which also in turn helped transform the kids). It could have been written a little better, but the comedic moments and overall meaning of the film still hold up well for me. And heck, it is John Candy!
     
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  10. profholt82

    profholt82 Resident Blowhard

    Location:
    West Michigan
    While the Buck-Tia plotline may be handled somewhat clumsily, and have a very predictable ending, I think the portrayal of Tia (while perhaps unlikable at face value) is very realistic. Teenagers in general often have fraught relationships with their parents and adults in their lives, let alone one who is going through the additional social and emotional difficulties incurred by moving to a new city during high school. I found Tia's characterization to be perhaps the most realistic aspect of 'Uncle Buck.'

    And I thought the phone call between Buck and Chanice, when he asks her to watch the kids while he looks for Tia after she has run away, was particularly poignant. Hughes had a knack for understanding the issues that many teenagers go through.

     
  11. Timeless Classics

    Timeless Classics Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Have you ever been around a rebellious teenager? They can be rough to be around :) A lot of Tia's pain and rebelliousness is because her family moved aware from family and friends to get a "better job". She resents her mother for that and that is how we are to relate with her. All acting out is because of her pain which is why she gets in with the wrong crowd of friends, and she is probably rebellious in general as most teenagers are. But she still has some moral sense left, as she refuses to let Bug take advantage of her. She is willing to push things to the edge (even running away), but will not go completely over the edge.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2021
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  12. Some of what is happening with Buck revolves around who he is now, as opposed to who he was.
    Some of the estrangement came at the hands of the brothers family living far enough away that distance was one major factor in not seeing each other.
    The relationship between the brother, and sister-in-law, are not terribly important because adults tend to view people through skewed lenses.

    Kids, on the other hand, often see a person for who they are without prejudgements getting in the way.
    Miles and Maisy don't know Uncle Buck. They have no preconceived notions, memories or other to alter what they see...and they see a pretty good guy overall.
    This is the important relationship in the movie.
    Uncle Buck being a great guy in the eyes of those who have no prior knowledge of Buck.

    Tia is the atypical angry teen girl. She intially sees Uncle Buck as a loser and a family cast off who was left behind...oddly, much like she is feeling after the move.
    Tia rebels against Buck BECAUSE Buck is an adult, and adults are not worthy in Tia's mind because of what adult's did to her.
    As the story unfolds, Tia realizes more and more Buck is not against her...and she eventually learns Buck is for her so long as her actions are good....and a bit of personal responsibility begins to emerge in the angry teen.
    Tia finishes the movie understanding Buck sees her, acknowledges her, and treates her with some level of respect and understanding, rather than simply acknowledging her existence like the other adults in her life.
    Buck is a big loser doofus....and Buck is paying attention, Buck does understand, Buck will do what he needs to help and protect Tia...and this is something Tia needs.
    The move left her feeling abandoned, unloved, unnoticed, and without a word to say because she does not matter...at least in her eyes.
     
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  13. Timeless Classics

    Timeless Classics Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I agree that Buck’s relationship with kids is the center of the film. I wouldn’t call his relationship with adults irrelevant. Miles and Maisy don’t know who Uncle Buck is and didn’t realize they even had an Uncle because their parents don’t get along with him. I think they is a piece of the film that is overlooked and not brought out well enough.

    Also, Tia didn’t like anybody. It wasn’t just adults. She was just an angry person. She didn’t like her siblings which came through as well. She was basically a loner - kind of like Buck, as you alluded too as well.
     
  14. JohnO

    JohnO Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    A great deal is said, or left to the viewer to fill in, with the wedding picture showing Buck was folded under. He was not cut out or cut off, only folded under. For the family (probably the wife did that fold), he's connected and still part, to be unfolded if needed or wanted.
     
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  15. I did not say Buck relationship with outher adults was irrelevant.
    I said, " The relationship between the brother, and sister-in-law, are not terribly important"
    There is a huge difference between irrelevant, and not terribly important.
    Buck interacts plenty with other adults in the movie, other adults who play a larger role in the story than the borther and sister-in-law.

    I understand what you are trying to convey, for you have hammered it home more than once already. It makes for a bit of conversation focused on a good movie.
    I just don't agree with your assessment telling me there should be more back story, and involvement, to develop why Buck has been estranged and how the poor relationship between the sister-in-law and brother became what it is when we come into the story.

    I do not see this benefitting the overall movie...apparently neither did the writers, director, or editors.
     
  16. Excellent point, and a great example why leaving something to the viewers imagination is often better than directly laying out every detail, leaving nothing left to ponder.

    With the picture folded over we easily get the impression something is amiss, someone does not want Buck in the shot...and, as played out earlier by the wifes reactions and words, she is the main reason Buck has been removed.
    The folded wedding photo serves to hammer that thought process home for the viewer...
    When we see the photo get unfolded, and it is Buck who has been removed, at that moment we fully understand Buck is not terribly welcome in this house, or family.
    This is enough to sell the thought and set the tone. This is all the further that subject need go in order to continue with Bucks character.

    For most people this is also the moment the viewer really emphasises with Bucks situation...It hurts, and we feel for the guy. Now you are emotionally connected with the character and further invested in what happens to Buck....This is called good writing. The way the scene is shot is called good directing. John Candy's facial expression and body language in this scene is called good acting.
    Very few do not understand what is going on in this important scene.
     
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  17. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I always thought of it more that the family found Buck an embarrassment and wanted to just forget about him. Then when they need him the don't expect him to be able to do anything, and then he goes above and beyond and comes through for them more than anyone else ever would have. That's what always gets me about this movie.
     
  18. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I hear you guys and I don't disagree with your assertions about real teens... but this is a John Hughes movie, not some hard-hitting drama.

    It wouldn't have been that tough to make Tia a pain and rebellious but also show some sign of likability. It's been done!

    No one watches Hughes movies for dark realism! :D
     
  19. JohnO

    JohnO Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    AND he gets the girl, his girl. :righton:
     
  20. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    the real embarrassment was the Family Uncle Buck was babysitting for...
     
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  21. Nomad

    Nomad Forum Resident

    Interesting fact.

    Uncle Buck was one of the first films to change teenagers' choice in music from rock to rap.
     
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  22. JediJones

    JediJones Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    One of the comments says the kid in the car is the son of a couple the mom is showing houses to, not Ferris' brother. He said he got that from the script.

    I'm in the middle of watching this 10-year-old A&E doc on Ferris Bueller. Good fun for anyone who's a fan of the film and likes hearing endless quotes from the cast and crew. They do mention the rough cut of Ferris was about an hour longer and I think it was a studio exec who said it was one of the longest rough cuts she had ever seen. They mention there was a subplot about Ferris trying to get money to fund their trip to Chicago. He apparently tricks his father over the phone into telling him where his savings bonds are and cashes them in. I imagine it's all in the script but I haven't read it yet.

    Now I'm moving on and they're showing there were scenes of Ferris goofing off around the house while he waits for Cameron to call him back. He was wearing a karate outfit, singing into a large megaphone and playing a guitar.

    Another one...Ferris is interviewed on radio and says he's going to be going on the space shuttle. The first trailer included this but it was recalled because the Challenger disaster happened the day before the trailer was to be shown.

    The kids take a boat ride...that was cut.

    Ferris dresses in an Elvis outfit and sings "Are You Lonesome Tonight." They're saying it was a fantasy sequence.

    They were supposed to go to a strip club and this is where Ferris gives the speech about Cameron marrying the first girl he meets. However, I think this was not actually shot. I think they ran out of time or money and never shot it.

     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2021
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  23. JediJones

    JediJones Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    There are some more shots of the younger brother and sister in the documentary and the kid definitely looks younger than the one in the car with Ferris' mom. The kid in the car is seen in some other stills too. They also say Sheen's character was named and the Buellers were selling their house to his family. Sheen's family owned a towing company and are the ones that tow away Rooney's car near the end. Louie Anderson had a long dialogue scene with Rooney that was cut. They say Ferris had a lot of darker, more brooding monologues to the camera that were cut.

    After the first test screening, they replaced music in the museum sequence with something else and they moved the parade sequence from an earlier point in the movie to the end of the day. Also, the scene with Rooney on the bus had been cut out. It was put back in to play during the credits just to keep audiences in their seats so they wouldn't miss the post-credits joke with Ferris.

    After a test screening, they cut a line where Sloane says it's easier for girls because they can bail out, have a baby and get a guy to support them. Young females gave them bad notes on that line.

    Why Ferris Bueller 2 never happened...Matthew wouldn't guarantee John he would do it without seeing the script, but John wouldn't write a script without having Matthew's guarantee.
     
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  24. fitzysbuna

    fitzysbuna Senior Member

    Location:
    Australia
    If the director really wanted it out there it would be out there ! if its his choice then let the films stand as they are ! i only have problems when its the studios that do the cutting !
     
  25. JediJones

    JediJones Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    When it comes to Ferris, I don't think the cut material would improve the movie. But it would be nice to be able to watch them as deleted scenes. Chances are the acting was good even if the story didn't need the scenes.
     
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