Uncle Buck

One of the late John Candy’s most family-friendly films, he stars as the unreliable, slobbish Uncle Buck, who is asked by his brother and sister-in-law to look after their kids while they are out of town. Unfortunately, as well as cute little Maizy (Gaby Hoffmann) and precocious Miles (Culkin), there’s also teenager Tia (Jean Kelly), who sees her parents’ absence as the perfect time to sleep with her boyfriend. Throw in a randy neighbour (Laurie Metcalf) and Buck’s own long-suffering girlfriend (Amy Madigan) and it looks like Buck may have bitten off more than he can chew.
Parents should note that a series of crude gags make this unsuitable for the under-tens (although they’d probably love the coarseness), as does a scene in which Buck goes a little over the top while attempting to keep Tia’s boyfriend at bay (he gags him and then stuffs him in the boot of his car). But older kids will get a kick out of Candy’s antics, even if in the end this just isn’t as funny as it could have been with such a talented comic actor in the lead.