Uncle Buck is a 1989 American comedy film written and directed by John Hughes. Starring John Candy and Amy Madigan, the film follows Buck (Candy), an irresponsible bachelor who is unexpectedly called upon to care for his brother's three children after a family emergency. Filmed primarily in and around Chicago, Uncle Buck was the first film Hughes wrote, directed, and produced under his multi-picture agreement with Universal Pictures. Much of the production was based at the vacant New Trier West High School in Northfield, Illinois, where several of the film's interior sets were constructed.