Uncle Buck 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Uncle Buck 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 20, 2025

John Hughes' "Uncle Buck" (1989) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actress Jean Louisa Kelly; new audio commentary by critic Joe Ramoni; new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I don't know if I told you this or not, but I am an amateur dentist.

It is not a mystery why John Hughes’ films are so popular. They have great characters who easily connect with people of all ages. However, while Hughes was an exceptionally talented writer, these great characters do not exist because he spent countless hours polishing them and their stories. They are not famous because Hughes shot them like glamorous stars, either. Whether they were kids, teenagers, or adults, Hughes always treated them as if they were his best friends or favorite relatives. He shot them the same way, too. And, perhaps most importantly, he told their stories like a true friend would -- while genuinely caring about them, exposing their insecurities and imperfections but cheering the good reshaping their lives, helping them recover and learn from the bad. It is why people have been embracing these great characters for decades and will continue to do so. In the stories Hughes placed them in, some recognize bits of their stories, and some even identify with them.

In Uncle Buck, an unexpected phone call unites several characters, most related and all based in the Chicagoland area, who have been drifting apart for a long time. Bob (Garrett Brown) and his wife, Cindy (Elaine Bromka), ask the former’s brother, Buck (John Candy), to look after their rebellious teenage daughter, Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly), and her younger brother, Miles (Macaulay Culkin), and sister, Maizy (Gaby Hoffmann), while they are away for a week, possibly even longer. Bob and Cindy must drive down to Indianapolis to see the latter’s father, who has had a heart attack. Buck, who is not Bob and Cindy’s first choice for the favor, has not talked to his brother in years, but immediately agrees to help and packs his bags. Then he jumps in his clunker and drives from Chicago to a suburb on the North Side.

But just hours after Buck enters Bob and Cindy’s fancy home and gets called Uncle Buck, it becomes painfully obvious that coexisting with Tia, Miles, and Maizy will not be easy. Tia can barely stand him, while Miles and Maizy routinely look at him as if he is an alien creature from another dimension. On top of this, Buck is forced to defend his trip to the North Side before his seemingly perpetually suspicious and as of late frequently frustrated girlfriend, Chanice (Amy Madigan), who expects him to be a man, not a boy trapped in a man’s body. However, despite a series of major setbacks, one of them involving even a stubborn washing machine, Buck slowly takes control of the fluid situation. Then, suddenly, but not unexpectedly, after Chanice sees him dancing with another woman, and Tia disappears, Buck’s progress is wiped out. To prevent an utter disaster, Buck then begins improvising, trusting his boyish instincts, and assuming that in any challenging situation, the worst possible outcome is always the most likely.

The simplicity of the narrative is quite deceiving. Indeed, while it produces seemingly endless hilarious moments, the humor is routinely attached to educational messaging that will always be relevant. For example, the brittle relationship between Buck and Tia is dramatically transformed only after both discover that listening and hearing what the other has to say are different things. Also, as the chaos intensifies, the narrative provides plenty of material supporting the rationality of the ethic of reciprocity, also known as the ‘golden rule’. (Treat others as you like to be treated).

However, even if one completely ignores the serious that is placed next to the unserious, Uncle Buck is still a very entertaining film. Candy is terrific and easily makes everyone else around him better, too. As is the case with all films Hughes directed, there are absolutely no filters in the narrative either, so if an opportunity emerges to crack a good joke, someone takes advantage of it.

There is one relationship in Uncle Buck that could and should have been developed better. Hughes’ best films always gather great tracks that create special scenes. In Uncle Buck, there is only one such scene that uses bits of Tone Loc’s classic track “Wild Thing”.

Uncle Buck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Uncle Buck is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-32 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #35-40 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Uncle Buck, recently completed at Universal. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR and later spent time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. A separate Blu-ray release is listed here.

The quality of the 4K makeover is every bit as impressive as that of the recent 4K makeover of Sea of Love. In fact, if it is revealed that both were prepared by the same party, it will make perfect sense why they have so many identical strengths.

Delineation, clarity, and depth range from excellent to outstanding. Fluidity is terrific, too. I spotted a few small density fluctuations, but even untrained eyes will easily tell that they are introduced by the original cinematography. The color grading job is fabulous. All primaries and all supporting nuances look exceptionally lush and very, very healthy. They are very nicely balanced, too. I thought that the HDR grade handled darker areas very well, never flattening or crushing darker nuances. If you have an older Blu-ray release of Uncle Buck and know how the film looks on it, prepare to see massive improvements in the dynamic range of the visuals, in some areas resembling the type of difference that you would repeatedly observe when comparing a dated DVD release and a brand new Blu-ray release. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections, so from start to finish Uncle Buck exhibits a very attractive organic appearance. I think that the larger your screen is, the more impressive you will be with it. Finally, the entire film is spotless.

I spent time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray as well. It is equally impressive. All of the main areas of the presentation that we scrutinize in our reviews are as solid as they need to be. I think that a direct 1080p to 4K comparison easily reveals how equally great the 4K makeover looks on Blu-ray as well. So, if you can only play Blu-ray discs, do not hesitate to upgrade. Uncle Buck has never looked this good before.

Uncle Buck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. In a few areas, I switched to the 2.0 track, but did not spend too much time with it. I think that the lossless 5.1 track is outstanding. Even though Uncle Buck lacks serious action material, the 5.1 track has an excellent dynamic range. All dialog was very clear, sharp, always stable. The upper register could not be healthier, either.

Uncle Buck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson. The commentators cover a wide range of topics, from the conception and production of Uncle Buck to its placement in John Hughes' body of work and the various serious themes that are part of the film's narrative.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Joe Ramoni. This commentary has more comments addressing the narrative structure and visual composition of Uncle Buck, with some interesting comments about different transition choices. Also, there is plenty of good information about John Hughes' writing and directing styles, as well as John Candy and his hillarious character.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson. The commentators cover a wide range of topics, from the conception and production of Uncle Buck to its placement in John Hughes' body of work and the various serious themes that are part of the film's narrative.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Joe Ramoni. This commentary has more comments addressing the narrative structure and visual composition of Uncle Buck, with some interesting comments about different transition choices. Also, there is plenty of good information about John Hughes' writing and directing styles, as well as John Candy and his hillarious character.

• Sixteen Going on Seventeen - in this new program, Jean Louisa Kelly explains why she became an actress and how she became involved with Uncle Buck, where she plays the character of Tia. Kelly also comments on her interactions with John Hughes, John Candy, and other cast members, and reveals that all these years later she still gets fan mail. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Macaulay Culkin Audition - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Uncle Buck. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Uncle Buck 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Explaining why John Hughes' films are liked so much is an exercise in repetition. They do not always tell great stories, but virtually all of them have great characters, and they are great because Hughes always treated them as if they were his best friends or favorite relatives. Everything else in Hughes' films is ornamentation. However, what Hughes did is not as simple as it sounds, which is why pretty much all of his films remain in a category of their own. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a spectacular new 4K makeover of Uncle Buck, prepared at Universal, that looks terrific on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.