Before 'Home Alone,' John Candy & Macaulay Culkin Were Family in This 62% Rotten Tomatoes Comedy Now on a New Streaming Home

Oh no! It's a John Candy classic coming to Peacock! Now that the holidays are past and Home Alone is off of our television screens, subscribers to NBC's streaming service will be able to see Candy and Macaulay Culkin in another comedy written and directed by John Hughes, thanks to Uncle Buck. Added to the platform on January 1, the 1989 film casts Candy as the titular Buck Russell, a carefree bachelor thrust into babysitting duties for his older brother on short notice. It's also filled with classic Hughes and Candy laughs and heart that the pair are well known for throughout their work together.

Uncle Buck isn't just about the titular Buck, but also the kids he has to care for. With a family emergency forcing them to travel out of town, Cindy (Elaine Bromka) and Bob Russell (Garrett M. Brown) have no choice but to let Buck take care of their young son Miles (Culkin) and their two daughters - the young Maizy, played by eventual Emmy nominee Gaby Hoffmann, and the teenage Tia, played by Yes, Dear and Top Gun: Maverick alum Jean Louisa Kelly. Miles and Maizy are quick to warm up to their fun uncle, but he quickly realizes he needs to do some growing up as well to be a responsible caregiver for the rebellious Tia. It's a fun ride that sees Buck slowly learn to leave the bachelor lifestyle behind to have a healthy relationship with his nieces and nephews and finally settle down with his girlfriend (Amy Madigan).

Despite only sporting a modest 62% score on Rotten Tomatoes and generally receiving less universal love than Hughes's other work, Uncle Buck is still fondly remembered among Candy's best films thanks primarily to the beloved actor's performance. It was yet another hit for Hughes financially too, with a solid $72.9 million haul at the box office. The love for the film from audiences prompted multiple attempts at bringing Buck to television in some form, first in 1990 with Kevin Meaney as Buck and later in 2016 with an African-American cast featuring Mike Epps as the star, yet neither managed to recapture the magic and were quickly canceled.

'Uncle Buck' Is One of Candy and Hughes's Many Team-Ups

Nothing can quite compare to the team-up of Hughes and Candy, which was going strong throughout the late 80s and early 90s. The Breakfast Club helmer made Candy one of his on-screen regulars throughout plenty of films in that time, from his smaller appearance as the jolly polka band leader Gus Polinski in Home Alone to his co-starring role opposite a livid Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Uncle Buck would be the last time Hughes directed Candy himself, but they'd continue to work together in projects he wrote and produced, like Only the Lonely and Career Opportunities. Tragically, the star died tragically young from a heart attack in 1994, though he'd already cemented his status as a comedy favorite primarily through his work with Hughes. He's still so well-beloved that fellow Canadian icon Ryan Reynolds announced his plans to produce a documentary about Candy's life in 2022 with Colin Hanks tapped to direct.

Uncle Buck is now available to watch on Peacock. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the latest films coming to and leaving streaming throughout the year.

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